Postbuckling analysis of functionally graded plates subject to compressive and thermal loads

Postbuckling analysis of functionally graded ceramic–metal plates under edge compression and temperature field conditions is presented using the element-free kp-Ritz method. The first-order shear deformation plate theory is employed to account for the transverse shear strains, and the von Kármán-type nonlinear strain–displacement relationship is adopted. The effective material properties of the functionally graded plates are assumed to vary through their thickness direction according to the power-law distribution of the volume fractions of the constituents. The displacement fields are approximated in terms of a set of mesh-free kernel particle functions. Bending stiffness is estimated using a stabilised conforming nodal integration approach, and, to eliminate the membrane and shear locking effects for thin plates, the shear and membrane terms are evaluated using a direct nodal integration technique. The solutions are obtained using the arc–length iterative algorithm in combination with the modified Newton–Raphson method. The effects of the volume fraction exponent, boundary conditions and temperature distribution on postbuckling behaviour are examined.