Imperfection sensitivity of thermal post-buckling behaviour of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams

This paper investigates the imperfection sensitivity of thermal post-buckling behaviour of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams subjected to in-plane temperature variation. The material properties of FG-CNTRCs are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction and temperature-dependent. A generic imperfection function is used to model various possible imperfections, including sine type, global and localized imperfections. The governing equations are derived based on the first-order shear deformation beam theory and von-Kármán geometric nonlinearity. The differential quadrature method in conjunction with modified Newton–Raphson technique is employed to determine the thermal post-buckling equilibrium path of imperfect FG-CNTRC beams. Thermal buckling is treated as a subset problem. A parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of imperfection mode, half-wave number, location and amplitude on their thermal post-buckling performance. The influences of distribution pattern and volume fraction of carbon nanotubes, boundary conditions and slenderness ratio are discussed as well. The results indicate that the thermal post-buckling is highly sensitive to the imperfection mode, half-wave number, location as well as its amplitude. It is also shown that the clamped-clamped FG-CNTRC beam is more sensitive to imperfections than those with other boundary conditions whereas other parameters do not substantially affect the imperfection sensitivity of thermal post-buckling behaviour.     

Free vibration analysis of two-dimensional functionally graded cylindrical shells

In this paper, the free vibration of a two-dimensional functionally graded circular cylindrical shell is analyzed. The equations of motion are based on the Love’s first approximation classical shell theory. The spatial derivatives of the equations of motion and boundary conditions are discretized by the methods of generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) and generalized integral quadrature (GIQ). Two kinds of micromechanics models, viz. Voigt and Mori–Tanaka models are used to describe the material properties. To validate the results, comparisons are made with the solutions for FG cylindrical shells available in the literature. The results of this study show that the natural frequency of the material can be modified in order to meet the expected results through manipulation of the constituent volume fractions. A comprehensive comparison is then drawn between ordinary and 2-D FG cylindrical shells.     

Free vibration analysis of discrete-continuous functionally graded circular plate via the Neumann series method

The Neumann series method has been used for the first time to solve the boundary value problem of free axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric vibrations of continuous and discrete-continuous functionally graded circular plate on the basis of the classical plate theory. The equation of motion and the general solution for a functionally graded circular plate with a very complex system of a discrete elements attached, such as concentric ring masses, elastic supports, rotational springs, and damping elements are presented for the first time. The particular continuous solutions to the defined differential equations are obtained as the Neumann power series rapidly, absolutely, and uniformly convergent to the exact eigenfrequencies for any physically justified values of the plate's parameters on the basis of the properties of the obtained closed-form kernels of the Volterra integral equations. The multiparametric nonlinear characteristic equations for plate with classical and nonclassical boundary conditions are defined and numerically solved to obtain the full spectrum of eigenfrequencies in a simple way. The effects of the position and stiffness of ring supports and of singularities as the radii of supports shrink to the center of the plate on the dimensionless eigenfrequencies of homogeneous and functionally graded circular plate with sliding support and elastic constraints are comprehensively studied and presented for the first time. The accuracy of the proposed low-computational-cost method is demonstrated by comparison of the numerical results with those available in the literature.     

Fuzzy finite element analysis for free vibration response of functionally graded semi-rigid frame structures

This study contributes a practical approach for the fuzzy free vibration quantification of functionally graded semi-rigid frame structures. A new Timoshenko beam element is formulated to include the connection rigidity for the analysis purpose. The finite element formulation is general to present different semi-rigid conditions, whereas hinged and rigid connections are special cases. Furthermore, an efficient response-surface-based fuzzy analysis is established based on the α–cut strategy and first-order Taylor's approximation to predict the fuzzy natural frequencies of the structures. Highlighted point is that various input uncertainties, such as the material characteristics, the member dimensions, and the connection rigidities, can be incorporated in the analysis by the presented fuzzy methodology. Computational efficiency and correctness of the proposed method are shown, and the effect of the uncertainties, especially of the connection rigidities, on the natural frequency of semi-rigid FGM structures is explored via solving some numerical examples.     

Free vibration characteristics of a functionally graded beam by finite element method

This paper presents the dynamic characteristics of functionally graded beam with material graduation in axially or transversally through the thickness based on the power law. The present model is more effective for replacing the non-uniform geometrical beam with axially or transversally uniform geometrical graded beam. The system of equations of motion is derived by using the principle of virtual work under the assumptions of the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The finite element method is employed to discretize the model and obtain a numerical approximation of the motion equation. The model has been verified with the previously published works and found a good agreement with them. Numerical results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms to figure out the effects of different material distribution, slenderness ratios, and boundary conditions on the dynamic characteristics of the beam. The above mention effects play very important role on the dynamic behavior of the beam.     

Free vibration and buckling of tapered columns made of axially functionally graded materials

This paper presents a unified model to analyze the free vibration and buckling of axially functionally graded Euler-Bernoulli columns subjected to an axial compressive force. The material properties vary linearly along the longitudinal direction, and column with circular and square cross sections is linearly tapered. The governing differential equations of the problem are derived and solved using the direct integral method combined with the determinant search technique. The computed results are compared with those reported in the literature and obtained from the finite element software ADINA. Numerical examples for natural frequency, buckling load and their corresponding mode shapes are given to highlight the effects of modular ratio, taper ratio and cross sectional shape as well as the end condition.     

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.     

Free vibration of functionally graded rectangular plates using first-order shear deformation plate theory

The main objective of this research work is to present analytical solutions for free vibration analysis of moderately thick rectangular plates, which are composed of functionally graded materials (FGMs) and supported by either Winkler or Pasternak elastic foundations. The proposed rectangular plates have two opposite edges simply-supported, while all possible combinations of free, simply-supported and clamped boundary conditions are applied to the other two edges. In order to capture fundamental frequencies of the functionally graded (FG) rectangular plates resting on elastic foundation, the analysis procedure is based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory (FSDT) to derive and solve exactly the equations of motion. The mechanical properties of the FG plates are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness of the plate and obey a power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents, whereas Poisson’s ratio is set to be constant. First, a new formula for the shear correction factors, used in the Mindlin plate theory, is obtained for FG plates. Then the excellent accuracy of the present analytical solutions is confirmed by making some comparisons of the results with those available in literature. The effect of foundation stiffness parameters on the free vibration of the FG plates, constrained by different combinations of classical boundary conditions, is also presented for various values of aspect ratios, gradient indices, and thickness to length ratios.     

Buckling and vibration analysis of functionally graded magneto-electro-thermo-elastic circular cylindrical shells

Buckling and vibration analysis of functionally graded magneto-electro-thermo-elastic (FGMETE) circular cylindrical shell are carried out in the present work. The Hamilton principle, higher order shear deformation theory, constitutive equation considering coupling effect between mechanical, electric, magnetic, thermal are considered to derive the equations of motion and distribution of electrical potential, magnetic potential along the thickness direction of FGMETE circular cylindrical shell. The influences of various external loads, such as axis force, temperature difference between the bottom and top surface of shell, surface electric voltage and magnetic voltage, on the buckling response of FGMETE circular cylindrical shell are investigated. The natural frequency obtained by present method is compared with results in open literature and a good agreement is obtained.     

Thermoelastic vibration and buckling analysis of functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical shells

This paper presents the report of an investigation into thermoelastic vibration and buckling characteristics of the functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical, where the functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical shell is made from a piezoelectric material having gradient change along the thickness, such as piezoelectricity and dielectric coefficient et al. Here, utilizing Hamilton’s principle and the Maxwell equation with a quadratic variation of the electric potential along the thickness direction of the cylindrical shells and the first-order shear deformation theory, and taking into account both the direct piezoelectric effect and the converse piezoelectric effect, the thermoelastic vibration and buckling characteristics of functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical shells composed of BaTiO₃/PZT − 4, BaTiO₃/PZT − 5A and BaTiO₃/PVDF are, respectively, calculated. The effects of material composition (volume fraction exponent), thermal loading, external voltage applied and shell geometry parameters on the free vibration characteristics are described, and the axial critical load, critical temperature and critical control voltage are obtained.     

Stress and free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using static Green's functions

In this paper static Green's functions for functionally graded Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beams are presented. All material properties are arbitrary functions along the beam thickness direction. The closed-form solutions of static Green's functions are derived from a fourth-order partial differential equation presented in [2]. In combination with Betti's reciprocal theorem the Green's functions are applied to calculate internal forces and stress analysis of functionally graded beams (FGBs) under static loadings. For symmetrical material properties along the beam thickness direction and symmetric cross-sections, the resulting stress distributions are also symmetric. For unsymmetrical material properties the neutral axis and the center of gravity axis are located at different positions. Free vibrations of functionally graded Timoshenko beams are also analyzed [3]. Analytical solutions of eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies in closed-forms are obtained based on reference [2]. Alternatively it is also possible to use static Green's functions and Fredholm's integral equations to obtain approximate eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies by an iterative procedure as shown in [1]. Applying the Sensitivity Analysis with Green's Functions (SAGF) [1] to derive closed-form analytical solutions of functionally graded beams, it is possible to modify the derived static Green's functions and include terms taking cracks into account, which are modeled by translational or rotational springs. Furthermore the SAGF approach in combination with the superposition principle can be used to take stiffness jumps into account and to extend static Green's functions of simple beams to that of discontinuous beams by adding new supports. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The dynamic stability and nonlinear vibration analysis of stiffened functionally graded cylindrical shells

A theoretical model is developed to study the dynamic stability and nonlinear vibrations of the stiffened functionally graded (FG) cylindrical shell in thermal environment. Von Kármán nonlinear theory, first-order shear deformation theory, smearing stiffener approach and Bolotin method are used to model stiffened FG cylindrical shells. Galerkin method and modal analysis technique is utilized to obtain the discrete nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Based on the static condensation method, a reduction model is presented. The effects of thermal environment, stiffeners number, material characteristics on the dynamic stability, transient responses and primary resonance responses are examined.     

Free vibration of centrifugally stiffened axially functionally graded tapered Timoshenko beams using differential transformation and quadrature methods

The free bending vibration of rotating axially functionally graded (FG) Timoshenko tapered beams (TTB) with different boundary conditions are studied using Differential Transformation method (DTM) and differential quadrature element method of lowest order (DQEL). These two methods are capable of modelling any beam whose cross sectional area, moment of inertia and material properties vary along the beam. In order to verify the competency of these two methods, natural frequencies are obtained for problems by considering the effect of material non-homogeneity, taper ratio, shear deformation parameter, rotating speed parameter, hub radius and tip mass. The results are tabulated and compared with the previous published results wherever available.     

Machine learning aided static structural reliability analysis for functionally graded frame structures

A novel machine learning aided structural reliability analysis for functionally graded frame structures against static loading is proposed. The uncertain system parameters, which include the material properties, dimensions of structural members, applied loads, as well as the degree of gradation of the functionally graded material (FGM), can be incorporated within a unified structural reliability analysis framework. A 3D finite element method (FEM) for static analysis of bar-type engineering structures involving FGM is presented. By extending the traditional support vector regression (SVR) method, a new kernel-based machine learning technique, namely the extended support vector regression (X-SVR), is proposed for modelling the underpinned relationship between the structural behaviours and the uncertain system inputs. The proposed structural reliability analysis inherits the advantages of the traditional sampling method (i.e., Monte-Carlo Simulation) on providing the information regarding the statistical characteristics (i.e., mean, standard deviations, probability density functions and cumulative distribution functions etc.) of any concerned structural outputs, but with significantly reduced computational efforts. Five numerical examples are investigated to illustrate the accuracy, applicability, and computational efficiency of the proposed computational scheme.     

Nonlinear free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams by using different shear deformation theories

This study investigates the nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded material (FGM) beams by different shear deformation theories. The volume fractions of the material constituents and effective material properties are assumed to be changing in the thickness direction according to the power-law form. The von Kármán geometric nonlinearity has been considered in the formulation. The Ritz method and Lagrange equation are adopted to yield the discrete formulations. A direct numerical integration method for the motion equation in matrix form is developed to solve the nonlinear frequencies of FGM beams. Comparing with the global concordant deformation assumption (GCDA), a new deformation assumption named as local concordant deformation assumption (LCDA) is proposed in this study. The LCDA fits with the real deformation of the vibrating beam better, thus more accurate results of the nonlinear frequency can be expected. In numerical results, the comparison study of the GCDA and LCDA is carried out. In addition, the effects of power-law index, slenderness ratio and maximum deflection for different shear deformation theories and boundary conditions on the nonlinear frequency of the beam are discussed.     

Free vibration of four-parameter functionally graded moderately thick doubly-curved panels and shells of revolution with general boundary conditions

This paper aims to present a unified vibration analysis approach for the four-parameter functionally graded moderately thick doubly-curved shells and panels of revolution with general boundary conditions. The first-order shear deformation theory is used in this formulation. The functionally graded panels structures consists of ceramic and metal which are set to vary continuously in the thickness direction according to the general four-parameter power-law distribution, and six types of power-law distributions are considered for the ceramic volume fraction. The admissible function of the FG panels and shells of revolution is obtained by the improved Fourier series with the help of the governing equations and the boundary conditions. The solution is obtained by using the variational operation in terms of the unknown expanded coefficients. By a great many numerical examples, the rapid convergence and good reliability and accuracy of the proposed approach are validated. A variety of new results for vibration problems of the FG doubly-curved shells and panels with different elastic restraints, geometric and material parameters are presented. The effects of the elastic restraint parameters, power-law exponent, circumference angle and power-law distributions on the free vibration characteristic of the panels are also presented, which can be served as benchmark data in the research and the actual production process.     

Thermal vibration analysis of functionally graded shallow spherical caps by introducing a decoupling analytical approach

Due to many applications of spherical shells on a circular planform such as the nose of the plane and spacecraft and caps of pressurized cylindrical tanks, in this article, free vibration analysis of a thin functionally graded shallow spherical cap under a thermal load is considered. A decoupling technique is employed to analytically solve the equations of motion. Introducing some new auxiliary and potential functions as well as using the separation method of variables, the governing equations of the vibrated functionally graded shallow spherical cap were exactly solved. The superiority of the relations is validated by some comparative studies for various types of boundary conditions. Also, thermal buckling phenomenon is considered. Using new different material models, efficiency of the functionally graded materials is investigated when the shell is subjected to a temperature gradient. The effects of various parameters such as radius of curvature, material grading index and thermal gradient are discussed.     

Buckling and vibration analysis of nonlocal axially functionally graded nanobeams based on Hencky-bar chain model

Buckling and free vibration analyses of nonlocal axially functionally graded Euler nanobeams is the main objective of this paper. Due to its simplicity, the Eringen's differential constitutive model is adopted for describing the nonlocal size dependency of nanostructure beam. The nonlocal equilibrium equation is derived using the principle of the minimum potential energy principle, and discretized by using the link-spring model known in literature as Hencky bar-chain model. The general applicability of the proposed approach allows analyses of functional graded microbeams without any restriction on variability, boundary and loading conditions. A comparison with results available in the literature shows the reliability of the method.     

Free vibrations of thin annular plates made from functionally graded material

Subject of the consideration is thin annular plate made of a two-phase functionally graded composte. The plate has periodically inhomogeneous microstructure slowly varying in space: the λ-periodic structure along circular coordinate, but smoothly graded apparent (averaged) properties in the perpendicular, radial direction. The aim of the contribution is to derive and apply a deterministic macroscopic model describing the free vibrations of this plate. Modeling procedure is based on tolerance averaging technique. We received, equations system with smooth coefficients. We made numerical solution of this problem, using finite difference method, and analyze influence of material proportion and microstructure size on first frequency of free vibrations. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Longitudinal modeling and properties tailoring of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite beams: A novel approach

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are considered a promising reinforcement for engineering advanced structures, such as aerospace applications. It became inevitable to tailor structures not only by conventional geometric but also by mechanical properties tailoring, to acquire the maximum load-carrying capacity. Therefore, this research presented a novel Finite Element (FE) modeling of Axially Functionally Graded CNT Reinforced Composite (AFG-CNTRC) beams, based on Timoshenko beam theory. However, an obstacle is raised due to properties discontinuity produced between consecutive elements in axial gradation. A solution is proposed based on the ladder-pattern concept. It defined a locally specific value at each element, satisfying the overall required distribution. It followed by a convergence test, static, and dynamic analysis with comprehensive parametric studies. The obtained results showed that the model is convergent, accurate, free of shear-locking, and suitable for axial gradation. Moreover, this study introduced an advanced technique for axial properties tailoring, utilizing privileges of CNT and aggregation. The longitudinal tailoring depends on both the CNT orientation angle and gradation index, which played a crucial role in response control and adjusting beam stiffness together with strength. This approach could solve enormous engineering problems, especially at critical cross-sections design and constraint response, without affecting the total weight.