Instability of heated circular FGM plates on a partial Winkler-type foundation

Thermal buckling analysis of a transversely graded circular plate attached to a centric partial elastic foundation is studied, analytically. Thermomechanical properties of the circular plate are distributed across the thickness based on a power law function. The governing equations of the plate are obtained by means of the classical plate theory. A conventional Winkler-type foundation is assumed to be in contact with the plate which acts in compression as well as in tension. Proper boundary conditions are chosen after pre-buckling analysis of the plate, and stability equations are established via the adjacent equilibrium criterion. To analyze the thermal stability problem, the plate is divided into two sections, a foundation-less domain and an in-contact region. An exact procedure is presented to accurately predict the critical buckling temperature as well as the buckled configuration of the plate. Analysis of various involved parameters including the Winkler parameter, foundation radius, power law index, and loading type is presented. It is concluded that while the loading is symmetric, in many cases, the buckled configuration of the plate is asymmetric.