LAUSR

Abstract This paper investigates the structural failure mechanism of the functionally graded porous (FGP) cylinder consolidated by graphene platelet (GPL) encased in the rigid medium. Three porous distributions and three GPL dispersion patterns are discussed. The pressurized FGM-GPL cylinder may deform in the shapes characterized by “single-lobe” or “multi-lobe” due to the constraint of the medium. The nonlinear equilibrium equations are developed by the differential of the total potential energy function of the cylinder. The critical buckling pressure of the confined cylinder is obtained theoretically and increases with a higher value of the lobe number. The verification of the present analytical solution is conducted by establishing a two-dimensional (2D) finite element model (FEM). The pressure-displacement equilibrium paths are traced, from which, the maximum pressure (buckling pressure) is determined. Both the analytical and numerical results indicate that the confined FGP-GPL cylinder sustains its highest pressure capacity for the case that the porosity and the GPL are distributed symmetrically to the mid-surface, but non-uniformly through the cross-section. Finally, a full parametric study is mainly focused on the effects of porosity coefficient, and the weight fraction of the GPL on the buckling pressure, the hoop force, the bending moment, the stress and strain distribution on the crown position with the maximum deformation when the critical buckling occurs.