Creep analysis of a cylinder subjected to 2D thermoelasticity loads and boundary conditions with inner heat generation source

This paper presents an in-depth investigation of the creep behavior of a thick-walled cylinder subjected to thermomechanical loads with internal heat generation under various boundary conditions. The cylinder is subjected to internal pressure with the incoming heat flux in the inner layer and the outgoing heat flux from the outer layer accompanied by heat generation. The displacement field follows the kinematics of the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). Simultaneously, the temperature field is treated as two-dimensional, exhibiting variations both along the thickness and the length of the cylinder, with a linear temperature gradient across the cylinder's thickness. Using the energy method, the equilibrium equations and general boundary conditions are derived for the cylinder. Norton's model is incorporated into rate forms of the above-mentioned equations to obtain time-dependent stress and strain results using an iterative method. The redistribution, displacements, strains and stresses over time have been obtained by the semi-analytical iteration method. Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed method in addressing axisymmetric cylindrical shells under various boundary conditions and thermo-mechanical loading is demonstrated. A parametric study on the creep behavior has also been carried out which reveals critical insights. Notably, the study demonstrates that effective stress and radial displacement during creep can be effectively managed by optimizing the external cooling profile or the internal heating profile. Furthermore, the investigation reveals that the presence of a heat source markedly influences the effective stress and displacement within structure, highlighting the interplay between thermal and mechanical factors in determining the structural integrity. To validate the findings of this study, the finite element method was employed, with the results indicating good agreement between the two approaches.