Buckling of non-homogeneous orthotropic conical shells subjected to combined load

Abstract

The buckling analysis is presented for non-homogeneous (NH) orthotropic truncated conical shells subjected to combined loading of axial compression and external pressure. The governing equations have been obtained for the non-homogeneous orthotropic truncated conical shell, the material properties of which vary continuously in the thickness direction. By applying Superposition and Galerkin methods to the governing equations, the expressions for critical loads (axial, lateral, hydrostatic and combined) of non-homogeneous orthotropic truncated conical shells with simply supported boundary conditions are obtained. The results are verified by comparing the obtained values with those in the existing literature. Finally, the effects of non-homogeneity, material orthotropy, cone semi-vertex angle and other geometrical parameters on the values of the critical combined load have been studied.