3-D thermo-elastic solution for continuously graded isotropic and fiber-reinforced cylindrical shells resting on two-parameter elastic foundations

This paper investigates the three-dimensional thermo-elastic deformation of cylindrical shells on two-parameter elastic foundations with continuously graded of volume fraction, subjected to thermal load. Suitable temperature and displacement functions that identically satisfy boundary conditions at the edges are used to reduce the equilibrium equations to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients, which are solved by Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method. Results are presented for two-constituent isotropic and fiber-reinforced functionally graded cylindrical shells that have a smooth variation of volume fractions through the radial direction. Symmetric and asymmetric volume fraction profiles are presented in this paper. The fast rate of convergence of the method is demonstrated and comparison studies are carried out to establish its very high accuracy and versatility. Effects of stiffness of the foundation and variations of different parameters of generalized power-law distribution on steady-state responses of the functionally graded cylindrical shell resting on elastic foundation are discussed. In addition, the effects of the FGM configuration are studied by considering the mechanical entities of different FGM fiber-reinforced cylindrical shells resting on elastic foundation. Some results are presented for the first time and some important conclusions are drawn.