Nonlinear buckling and post-buckling response of stiffened FGM plates in thermal environments.

We present a nonlinear finite element method to investigate the nonlinear stability of stiffened functionally graded materials (FGM) plates considered as a whole unit. The plates are subjected to mechanical and thermal loads. The material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent and varied gradually across the thickness according to a power law distribution. The nonlinear equations of FGM plates are based on the first-order shear order plate theory. The influence of material, geometrical properties of stiffeners and initial deflections on the buckling and post-buckling response of the stiffened plates are studied in detail. Including the latest information no work has been oriented towards post-buckling analysis of stiffened FGM plates considered as a whole unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]