Bending of thick functionally graded plates resting on Winkler–Pasternak elastic foundations

The static response of simply supported functionally graded plates (FGP) subjected to a transverse uniform load (UL) or a sinusoidally distributed load (SL) and resting on an elastic foundation is examined by using a new hyperbolic displacement model. The present theory exactly satisfies the stress boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate. No transverse shear correction factors are needed, because a correct representation of the transverse shear strain is given. The material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of volume fractions of material constituents. The foundation is modeled as a two-parameter Pasternak-type foundation, or as a Winkler-type one if the second parameter is zero. The equilibrium equations of a functionally graded plate are given based on the hyperbolic shear deformation theory of plates presented. The effects of stiffness and gradient index of the foundation on the mechanical responses of the plates are discussed. It is established that the elastic foundations significantly affect the mechanical behavior of thick functionally graded plates. The numerical results presented in the paper can serve as benchmarks for future analyses of thick functionally graded plates on elastic foundations.     

Levy-type solution for buckling analysis of thick functionally graded rectangular plates based on the higher-order shear deformation plate theory

In this article, an analytical approach for buckling analysis of thick functionally graded rectangular plates is presented. The equilibrium and stability equations are derived according to the higher-order shear deformation plate theory. Introducing an analytical method, the coupled governing stability equations of functionally graded plate are converted into two uncoupled partial differential equations in terms of transverse displacement and a new function, called boundary layer function. Using Levy-type solution these equations are solved for the functionally graded rectangular plate with two opposite edges simply supported under different types of loading conditions. The excellent accuracy of the present analytical solution is confirmed by making some comparisons of the present results with those available in the literature. Furthermore, the effects of power of functionally graded material, plate thickness, aspect ratio, loading types and boundary conditions on the critical buckling load of the functionally graded rectangular plate are studied and discussed in details. The critical buckling loads of thick functionally graded rectangular plates with various boundary conditions are reported for the first time and can be used as benchmark.     

Mechanical and thermal postbuckling of shear-deformable FGM plates with temperature-dependent properties

An analytical approach to investigating the stability of simply supported rectangular functionally graded plates under in-plane compressive, thermal, and combined loads is presented. The material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of volume fractions of constituents. The equilibrium and compatibility equations for the plates are derived by using the first-order shear deformation theory of plates, taking into account both the geometrical nonlinearity in the von Karman sense and initial geometrical imperfections. The resulting equations are solved by employing the Galerkin procedure to obtain expressions from which the postbuckling load–deflection curves can be traced by an iterative procedure. A stability analysis performed for geometrically midplane-symmetric FGM plates shows the effects of material and geometric parameters, in-plane boundary conditions, temperature-dependent material properties, and imperfections on the postbuckling behavior of the plates.     

Elasticity Solutions for Cylindrical Bending of Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Material Plates北大核心CSCD

功能梯度压电材料（FGPM）同时兼具功能梯度材料和压电材料特性,可为多功能或智能化轻质结构设计提供支撑,在诸多领域有着广泛的应用前景.将Mian和Spencer功能梯度板理论由功能梯度弹性材料推广到功能梯度压电材料,解析研究了FGPM板的柱面弯曲问题,其中,材料弹性常数、压电和介电参数沿板厚方向可以任意连续变化.最终,给出了FGPM板受横向均布荷载作用下柱面弯曲问题的弹性力学解.通过算例分析,重点讨论了压电效应对FGPM板静力响应的影响.     

Dynamic analysis of multi-directional functionally graded annular plates

Dynamic analysis of multi-directional functionally graded annular plates is achieved in this paper using a semi-analytical numerical method entitled the state space-based differential quadrature method. Based on the three-dimensional elastic theory and assuming the material properties having an exponent-law variation along the thickness, radial direction or both directions, the frequency equations of free vibration of multi-directional functionally graded annular plates are derived under various boundary conditions. Numerical examples are presented to validate the approach and the superiority of this method is also demonstrated. Then free vibration of functionally graded annular plates is studied for different variations of material properties along the thickness, radial direction and both directions, respectively. And the influences of the material property graded variations on the dynamic behavior are also investigated. The multi-directional graded material can likely be designed according to the actual requirement and it is a potential alternative to the unidirectional functionally graded material.     

Generalized shear deformation theory for bending analysis of functionally graded plates

In this study, the static response is presented for a simply supported functionally graded rectangular plate subjected to a transverse uniform load. The generalized shear deformation theory obtained by the author in other recent papers is used. This theory is simplified by enforcing traction-free boundary conditions at the plate faces. No transversal shear correction factors are needed because a correct representation of the transversal shearing strain is given. Material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The equilibrium equations of a functionally graded plate are given based on a generalized shear deformation plate theory. The numerical illustrations concern bending response of functionally graded rectangular plates with two constituent materials. The influences played by transversal shear deformation, plate aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio, and volume fraction distributions are studied. The results are verified with the known results in the literature.     

An efficient and simple refined theory for buckling analysis of functionally graded plates

In this paper, an efficient and simple refined theory is presented for buckling analysis of functionally graded plates. The theory, which has strong similarity with classical plate theory in many aspects, accounts for a quadratic variation of the transverse shear strains across the thickness and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factors. The mechanical properties of functionally graded material are assumed to vary according to a power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Governing equations are derived from the principle of minimum total potential energy. The closed-form solutions of rectangular plates are obtained. Comparison studies are performed to verify the validity of present results. The effects of loading conditions and variations of power of functionally graded material, modulus ratio, aspect ratio, and thickness ratio on the critical buckling load of functionally graded plates are investigated and discussed.     

Free vibration of a functionally graded annular sector plate integrated with piezoelectric layers

Based on the first order shear deformation theory, free vibration behavior of functionally graded (FG) annular sector plates integrated with piezoelectric layers is investigated. The distribution of electric potential along the thickness direction of piezoelectric layers which is assumed to be a combination of linear and sinusoidal functions, satisfies both open and closed circuit electrical boundary conditions. Through a reformulation of governing equations and harmonic motion assumption, a novel decoupling method is suggested to transform the six second order coupled partial differential equations of motion into two eighth order and fourth order equations. A Fourier series method is then employed to present analytical solutions for free vibration of smart FG annular sector plates with simply supported radial edges and arbitrarily supported circular edges. The results, which can be used as a benchmark and suitable for design purposes, are verified with those reported in the literature. Finally, by presenting extensive ranges of frequencies, the effects of geometric parameters, power law index, FG and piezoelectric materials, electrical and mechanical boundary conditions as well as the piezoelectric layer thickness on vibration response of smart annular sector plates are discussed in detail.     

Static response and free vibration analysis of FGM plates using higher order shear deformation theory

Free vibration and static analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) plates are studied using higher order shear deformation theory with a special modification in the transverse displacement in conjunction with finite element models. The mechanical properties of the plate are assumed to vary continuously in the thickness direction by a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The fundamental equations for FGM plates are derived using variational approach by considering traction free boundary conditions on the top and bottom faces of the plate. Results have been obtained by employing a continuous isoparametric Lagrangian finite element with 13 degrees of freedom per node. Convergence tests and comparison studies have been carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the present model. Numerical results for different thickness ratios, aspect ratios and volume fraction index with different boundary conditions have been presented. It is observed that the natural frequency parameter increases for plate aspect ratio, lower volume fraction index n and smaller thickness ratios. It is also observed that the effect of thickness ratio on the frequency of a plate is independent of the volume fraction index. For a given thickness ratio non-dimensional deflection increases as the volume fraction index increases. It is concluded that the gradient in the material properties plays a vital role in determining the response of the FGM plates.     

On the effects of coupling between in-plane and out-of-plane vibrating modes of smart functionally graded circular/annular plates

In recent years many articles concerned with the mechanics of functionally graded plates have been published. The variation in material properties through the thickness of the plate introduces a coupling between in-plane and transverse displacements, the coupling is important in the vibration of functionally graded plates (FGPs), but none have produced an exact closed-form solution for the in-plane as well as transverse vibrations of smart circular/annular FGPs. Therefore, this paper develops an exact closed-form solution for the free vibration of piezoelectric coupled thick circular/annular FGPs subjected to different boundary conditions on the basis of the Mindlin’s first-order shear deformation theory. Through the comparison of present results with those available, the accuracy of the present method was verified. The effects of coupling between in-plane and transverse displacements on the frequency parameters are proved to be significant. It is concluded that the developed model can describe vibrational behavior of smart FGM plates more realistic. Due to the inherent features of the present solution, all findings will be a useful benchmark for evaluating other analytical and numerical methods developed by researchers in the future.     

Mathematical solution for bending of short hybrid composite beams with variable fibers spacing

In this study, the static response is presented for a simply supported functionally graded hybrid beam subjected to a transverse uniform load. Material properties of the beam are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. By varying the fiber volume fraction within a symmetric laminated beam and combining two fiber types to create a hybrid functionally graded material (FGM) can offer desirable increases in axial and bending stiffness. The equations governing the hybrid FGM beams are determined using the principle of virtual work (PVW) arising from the higher order shear deformation theories. Numerical results on the transverse deflection, axial and shear stresses in a moderately thick hybrid FGM beam under uniform distributed load are discussed in depth. The effect of power-law exponent on the deflection and stresses are also commented.     

Size-dependent buckling analysis of functionally graded third-order shear deformable microbeams including thermal environment effect

Presented herein is the prediction of buckling behavior of size-dependent microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) including thermal environment effect. To this purpose, strain gradient elasticity theory is incorporated into the classical third-order shear deformation beam theory to develop a non-classical beam model which contains three additional internal material length scale parameters to consider the effects of size dependencies. The higher-order governing differential equations are derived on the basis of Hamilton’s principle. Afterward, the size-dependent differential equations and related boundary conditions are discretized along with commonly used end supports by employing generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. A parametric study is carried out to demonstrate the influences of the dimensionless length scale parameter, material property gradient index, temperature change, length-to-thickness aspect ratio and end supports on the buckling characteristics of FGM microbeams. It is revealed that temperature change plays more important role in the buckling behavior of FGM microbeams with higher values of dimensionless length scale parameter.     

Elasticity solutions for functionally graded rectangular plates with two opposite edges simply supported

England (2006) [13] proposed a novel method to study the bending of isotropic functionally graded plates subject to transverse biharmonic loads. His method is extended here to functionally graded plates with materials characterizing transverse isotropy. Using the complex variable method, the governing equations of three plate displacements appearing in the expansions of displacement field are formulated based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity for a transverse load satisfying the biharmonic equation. The solution may be expressed in terms of four analytic functions of the complex variable, in which the unknown constants can be determined from the boundary conditions similar to that in the classical plate theory. The elasticity solutions of an FGM rectangular plate with opposite edges simply supported under 12 types of biharmonic polynomial loads are derived as appropriate sums of the general and particular solutions of the governing equations. A comparison of the present results for a uniform load with existing solutions is made and good agreement is observed. The influence of boundary conditions, material inhomogeneity, and thickness to length ratio on the plate deflection and stresses for the load x²yq are studied numerically.     

Free vibration,buckling and dynamic stability of bi-directional FG microbeam with a variable length scale parameter embedded in elastic medium

In this paper, size dependent free vibration, buckling and dynamic stability of bi-directional functionally graded (BDFG) microbeam embedded in elastic medium are investigated. The material properties vary along both thickness and axial directions. In particular, the material length scale parameter of microbeam is considered as a function of spatial coordinates and varies with the material gradient parameters. The system of differential equations with variable coefficients governing the motion of BDFG microbeam is derived employing Hamilton’s principle, the modified couple stress theory and third-order shear deformation beam theory. The differential quadrature method (DQM) is utilized to solve the static and dynamic problem. Three different models evaluating the material length scale parameter of BDFG microbeam are presented for comparison. Parametric studies are carried out to show the influence of gradient parameters, size effect, stiffness of elastic medium on the free vibration, buckling and dynamic stability characteristic of BDFG microbeam. Results show that the variation of material length scale parameter should be considered in the analysis of BDFG microbeam.     

Variational formulation of a modified couple stress theory and its application to a simple shear problem

A variational formulation is provided for the modified couple stress theory of Yang et al. by using the principle of minimum total potential energy. This leads to the simultaneous determination of the equilibrium equations and the boundary conditions, thereby complementing the original work of Yang et al. where the boundary conditions were not derived. Also, the displacement form of the modified couple stress theory, which is desired for solving many problems, is obtained to supplement the existing stress-based formulation. All equations/expressions are presented in tensorial forms that are coordinate-invariant. As a direct application of the newly obtained displacement form of the theory, a simple shear problem is analytically solved. The solution contains a material length scale parameter and can capture the boundary layer effect, which differs from that based on classical elasticity. The numerical results reveal that the length scale parameter (related to material microstructures) can have a significant effect on material responses.      

Variational formulation of a modified couple stress theory and its application to a simple shear problem

A variational formulation is provided for the modified couple stress theory of Yang et al. by using the principle of minimum total potential energy. This leads to the simultaneous determination of the equilibrium equations and the boundary conditions, thereby complementing the original work of Yang et al. where the boundary conditions were not derived. Also, the displacement form of the modified couple stress theory, which is desired for solving many problems, is obtained to supplement the existing stress-based formulation. All equations/expressions are presented in tensorial forms that are coordinate-invariant. As a direct application of the newly obtained displacement form of the theory, a simple shear problem is analytically solved. The solution contains a material length scale parameter and can capture the boundary layer effect, which differs from that based on classical elasticity. The numerical results reveal that the length scale parameter (related to material microstructures) can have a significant effect on material responses.     

A new sinusoidal shear deformation theory for bending,buckling, and vibration of functionally graded plates

A new sinusoidal shear deformation theory is developed for bending, buckling, and vibration of functionally graded plates. The theory accounts for sinusoidal distribution of transverse shear stress, and satisfies the free transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional sinusoidal shear deformation theory, the proposed sinusoidal shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns and has strong similarities with classical plate theory in many aspects such as equations of motion, boundary conditions, and stress resultant expressions. The material properties of plate are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Equations of motion are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. The closed-form solutions of simply supported plates are obtained and the results are compared with those of first-order shear deformation theory and higher-order shear deformation theory. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and efficient in predicting the bending, buckling, and vibration responses of functionally graded plates.     

An accurate mathematical study on the free vibration of stepped thickness circular/annular Mindlin functionally graded plates

An analytical solution based on a new exact closed form procedure is presented for free vibration analysis of stepped circular and annular FG plates via first order shear deformation plate theory of Mindlin. The material properties change continuously through the thickness of the plate, which can vary according to a power-law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents, whereas Poisson’s ratio is set to be constant. Based on the domain decomposition technique, five highly coupled governing partial differential equations of motion for freely vibrating FG plates were exactly solved by introducing the new potential functions as well as using the method of separation of variables. Several comparison studies were presented by those reported in the literature and the FEM analysis, for various thickness values and combinations of stepped thickness variations of circular/annular FG plates to demonstrate highly stability and accuracy of present exact procedure. The effect of the geometrical and material plate parameters such as step thickness ratios, step locations and the power law index on the natural frequencies of FG plates is investigated.     

Large-amplitude free vibrations of functionally graded beams by means of a finite element formulation

The large-amplitude free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams is investigated by means of a finite element formulation. The Von-Karman type nonlinear strain–displacement relationships are employed where the ends of the beam are constrained to move axially. The effects of the transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia are included based upon the Timoshenko beam theory. The material properties are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to the power-law distribution. A statically exact beam element which devoid the shear locking effect with displacement fields based on the first order shear deformation theory is used to study the geometric nonlinear effects on the vibrational characteristics of functionally graded beams. The finite element method is employed to discretize the nonlinear governing equations, which are then solved by the direct numerical integration technique in order to obtain the nonlinear vibration frequencies of functionally graded beams with different boundary conditions. The influences of power-law exponent, vibration amplitude, beam geometrical parameters and end supports on the free vibration frequencies are studied. The present numerical results compare very well with the results available from the literature where possible. Some new results for the nonlinear natural frequencies are presented in both tabular and graphical forms which can be used for future references.     

Refined Orthotropic Plate Motion Equations for Acoustoelasticity Problem Statement

The formulation of the acoustoelasticity problem is given on the basis of refined motion equations of orthotropic plates. These equations are constructed in the first approximation by reducing the three-dimensional equations of the theory of elasticity to the two-dimensional equations of the theory of plates, where the approximation of the transverse tangential stresses and the transverse reduction stress is made with the help of trigonometric basis functions in the thickness direction. Wherein at the points of the boundary (front) surfaces, the static boundary conditions of the problem for tangential stresses are satisfied exactly and for transverse normal stress — approximately. Accounting for internal energy dissipation in the plate material is based on the Thompson—Kelvin—Voigt hysteresis model. In case of formulating problems on dynamic processes of plate deformation in vacuum, the equations are divided into two separate systems of equations. The first of these systems describes non-classical shear-free, longitudinal-transverse forms of movement, accompanied by a distortion of the flat form of cross sections, and the second system describes transverse bending-shear forms of movement. The latter are practically equivalent in quality and content to the analogous equations of the well-known variants of refined theories, but, unlike them, with a decrease in the relative thickness parameter, they lead to solutions according to the classical theory of plates. The motion of the surrounding the plate acoustic media is described by the generalized Helmholtz wave equations, constructed with account of energy dissipation by introducing into consideration the complex sound velocity according to Skudrzyk.