FE modeling of creep in linear and non-linear FGM cylinder under internal pressure

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate creep in an internally pressurized thick-walled, closed ends cylinder made of functionally graded composite, having linear and non-linear distribution of reinforcement, using finite element (FE) analysis. Design/methodology/approach – FE-based Abaqus software is used to investigate creep behavior of a functionally graded cylinder. The cylinder is made of composite containing linear and non-linearly varying distributions of reinforcement along the radius. The creep behavior has been described by Norton's power law. The creep stresses and strains have been estimated in linear and non-linear functionally graded materials (FGM) cylinders and compared with those estimated for a similar composite cylinder but having uniform distribution of reinforcement. Findings – The radial stress in the composite cylinder is observed to decreases over the entire radius upon imposing linear or non-linear reinforcement gradients. However, the tangential stress in the cylinder increases near the inner radius but decreases toward the outer radius, on imposing linear or non-linear reinforcement gradients. The creep strains in the FGM cylinders are significantly lower than those observed in a uniform composite cylinder. Originality/value – The creep strains in an internally pressurized functionally graded thick composite cylinder could be reduced significantly by employing non-linear distribution of reinforcement along the radial direction.