Static instability of an asymmetrical two-layered beam supported by a Pasternak base under thermal gradient and an axial pulsating load

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, India
² School of Mechanical Engineering, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, India

^* Corresponding author: madhumita.mohanty92@gmail.com

Published online: 7 January 2026

Abstract

This study focuses on lightweight structural components that are commonly used in mechanical, marine, and aerospace systems where achieving high strength at low weight is a key design objective. The suggested beam in this analysis eliminates the need for a viscoelastic core and achieves reduced mass without sacrificing stiffness by bonding two dissimilar elastic materials together. To simulate actual operating conditions, the model is exposed to a thermal gradient and an axial pulsating load. The governing non-dimensional Hamilton’s concept is used to generate equations and the related boundary conditions, and Galerkin’s approach further streamlines them for computational use. For both pinned & pinned and clamped & pinned edge conditions, the impact of geometric ratios, elastic modulus variation, taper characteristics, foundation rigidity, and thermal effects is examined. The effect of these parameters on the beam’s static stability is evident from numerical results derived from MATLAB simulations.