The thermo-mechanical analysis of spherical vessels consisting of an internal functionally graded coating and an external homogeneous layer is considered. Property variations throughout the coating are linked to its constituents volume fractions by means of widely used rules of mixture. The analysis is numerically performed, revealing that an indicator of the equivalent stress, strictly linked to the load carrying capacity, is optimized for coated vessels rather than entirely graded counterparts, leading to enhanced performance and nontrivial implications from the technological and economical viewpoints.
G.G. Marcu, H.M.A. Abdalla, D. Casagrande. Less is better: Coated spherical vessels over-perform their entirely graded counterparts. (2021) Composite Structures. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114529
