Buckling analysis of functionally graded porous variable thickness plates resting on Pasternak foundation using ES-MITC3

Abstract The main goal of this study is to further expand the ES-MITC3 for analyzing the buckling characteristics of functionally graded porous (FGP) variable thickness (VT) plates with sinusoidal porous distribution. The ES-MITC3 was developed to improve the accuracy of classical triangular elements (Q3) and overcome the locking phenomenon while still ensuring flexibility in discretizing the structural domain of the Q3. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) in combination with ES-MITC3 is used due to its simplicity and effectiveness. The Pasternak foundation (PF) is a two-parameter model with springer stiffness ( k 1) and shear stiffness ( k 2) that describes the foundation reaction as a function of the deflection and its Laplacian. The accuracy and performance of the proposed formulation are verified through comparative examples. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis has been undertaken to scrutinize the effects of geometric parameters and material properties on the buckling of FGP VT plates.