The Influence of GPL Reinforcements on the Post-Buckling Behavior of FG Porous Rings Subjected to an External Pressure

The work focuses on the post- buckling behavior of functionally graded graphene platelet (FG-GPL)-reinforced porous thick rings with open-cell internal cavities under a uniform external pressure. The generalized rule of mixture and the modified Halpin–Tsai model are here used to evaluate the effective mechanical properties of the ring. Three types of porosity patterns are assumed together with five different GPL distributions as reinforcement across the ring thickness. The theoretical formulation relies on a 2D-plane stress linear elasticity theory and Green strain field in conjunction a virtual work principle to derive the nonlinear governing equations of the post-buckling problem. Unlike the simple ring models, 2D elasticity considers the thickness stretching. The finite element model combined with an iterative Newton–Raphson algorithm is used to obtain the post-buckling path of the ring up to the collapse. A systematic investigation evaluates the effect of the weight fraction of nanofillers, the coefficient of porosity, porosity distribution, and the GPLs distribution on the deep post-buckling path of the ring. Based on the results, it is found that the buckling value and post-buckling strength increase considerably (by approximately 80%) by increasing the weight fraction of the nanofiller of about 1%.