Nonlinear buckling of CNT-reinforced composite toroidal shell segment surrounded by an elastic medium and subjected to uniform external pressure

Abstract

Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of Toroidal Shell Segment (TSS) reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), surrounded by an elastic medium and subjected to uniform external pressure are investigated in this paper. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are reinforced into matrix phase by uniform distribution (UD) or functionally graded (FG) distribution along the thickness direction. Effective properties of carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) are estimated by an extended rule of mixture through a micromechanical model. Governing equations for TSSs are based on the classical thin shell theory taking into account geometrical nonlinearity and surrounding elastic medium. Three-term solution of deflection and stress function are assumed to satisfy simply supported boundary condition, and Galerkin method is applied to obtain nonlinear load-deflection relation from which buckling loads and postbuckling equilibrium paths are determined. The effects of CNT volume fraction, distribution types, geometrical ratios and elastic foundation on the buckling and postbuckling behaviors of CNTRC TSSs are analyzed and discussed.