Axisymmetric deformation of plates and shells with phase trasformations under thermal cycling

A mathematical formulation is given of nonlinear axisymmetric buckling problems for plates and shells in the two-phase zones of austenite-to-martensite transformation. Numerical solutions of the direct-and inverse-transformation problems are used to construct hysteresis loops for thermomechanically cycled, pressure-loaded circular plates and shallow spherical domes of titanium nickelide (NiTi) alloy. It is shown that dynamic instability of the dome deformation process can occur during transformation under loads notably lower than the upper critical values for the isothermal states of the material outside the transformation zone. A theoretical analysis gives external loads below which the dome remains stable in the thermally cycled material with phase transformations.