The porosity effect on the buckling analysis of functionally graded plates under thermal environment using a Quasi-3D theory

Functionally graded porous structures are at the forefront of material innovation, providing a flexible solution to suit the wide range of requirements in modern engineering applications. The capacity of these materials to integrate customized porosity with variable mechanical properties not only improves performance but also promotes improvements in performance, efficiency, and durability. One of the main contributions of this research its a comprehensive method of including porosity effects in the thermal buckling load analysis of functionally graded plates. Also, this study aims to apply the Quasi-3D theory to investigate the influence of porosity on the thermal critical buckling load of functionally graded plates. The plates demonstrate microscopic heterogeneity, with material characteristics changing continually according to a modified polynomial function. The primary goal is to investigate how different porosity distributions (even, uneven, and logarithmic uneven) influence the thermal critical buckling load under different thermal load circumstances. The governing equations are derived using a Quasi-3D deformation theory that takes into account transverse normal strain. Navier's method is used to investigate simply supported FG plates, both perfect and imperfect, under uniform, linear, and nonlinear thermal loads. Numerical simulations are used to calculate the thermal critical buckling for various geometries, thermal loading conditions and porosity characteristics. The results show that the porosity distribution has a substantial influence on increasing the thermal critical buckling load of FG porous plates. The model of even porosity distribution has the largest thermal critical buckling load, whereas the model of logarithmic-uneven porosity distribution has the lowest thermal critical buckling load, indicating that such distributions should be carefully considered in FGM design. The type of thermal loading condition applied to the plate has a significant impact on the thermal critical buckling of the plate. Moreover, various geometries, volume fraction index, and inclusion of thickness stretching are considered to examine the effect on the thermal critical buckling load response. Comparisons with literature are added to validate the accuracy of numerical findings. This research has the potential to offer comprehensive reference and useful guidance in the design and application of FG porous plate structures.