Buckling analysis of functionally graded plates under thermal loadings using the finite strip method

In the present article, a finite strip method is applied for analyzing the buckling behavior of rectangular functionally graded plates (FGPs) under thermal loadings. The material properties of FGPs are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness of the plate, according to the simple power law distribution. Derivations of equations are based on the classical plate theory (CPT). The fundamental equations for rectangular plates of functionally graded material (FGM) are obtained by discretizing the plate into some finite strips. The solution is obtained by the minimization of the total potential energy and solving the corresponding eigenvalue problem. In addition, numerical results for a variety of functionally graded plates with different boundary conditions are presented and compared with those available in the literature. Moreover, the effects of geometrical parameters and material properties on the FGPs’ buckling temperature difference are determined and discussed.