Large deflections of tapered functionally graded beams subjected to end forces

The large deflections of tapered functionally graded beams subjected to end forces are studied by using the finite element method. The material properties of the beams are assumed to vary through the thickness direction according to a power law distribution. A first order shear deformable beam element employed the exact polynomials to interpolate the transverse displacement and rotation, is formulated in the context of the co-rotational approach. The large deflection response of the beams is computed by using the arc-length control algorithm in combination with the Newton–Raphson iterative method. The numerical results show that the formulated element is capable to assess accurately the response of the beams by using just several elements. A parametric study is given to examine the influence of the material non-homogeneity, taper ratio as well as the aspect ratio on the large deflection behaviour of the beams.     

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.     

Mechanical stability of functionally graded stiffened cylindrical shells

This paper is concerned with the elastic buckling of stiffened cylindrical shells by rings and stringers made of functionally graded materials subjected to axial compression loading. The shell properties are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness direction. Fundamental relations, the equilibrium and stability equations are derived using the Sander’s assumption. Resulting equations are employed to obtain the closed-form solution for the critical buckling loads. The results show that the inhomogeneity parameter and geometry of shell significantly affect the critical buckling loads. The analytical results are compared and validated using the finite element method.     

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.     

A unified formulation of PVD-based finite cylindrical layer methods for functionally graded material sandwich cylinders

A unified formulation of finite cylindrical layer methods (FCLMs) based on the principle of virtual displacements (PVDs) is developed for the quasi-three-dimensional (3D) bending and free vibration analyses of simply-supported, functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich circular hollow cylinders, in which the material properties of the FGM layer are assumed to obey the power-law distributions of the volume fractions of the constituents through the thickness coordinate. In this formulation, the cylinder is divided into a number of cylindrical finite layers, where the trigonometric functions and Lagrange polynomials are used to interpolate the in- and out-of-surface variations of the displacement components of each individual layer, respectively. Because an h-refinement is adopted in this article to yield the convergent solutions, the relative orders used for expansion of the displacement components remain variable, and can be freely chosen as linear, quadratic and cubic ones. The accuracy and convergence rate of a variety of PVD-based FCLMs developed in this article are assessed by comparing their solutions with the available 3D ones.     

Post-buckling and nonlinear free vibration analysis of geometrically imperfect functionally graded beams resting on nonlinear elastic foundation

In this paper, post-buckling and nonlinear vibration analysis of geometrically imperfect beams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) resting on nonlinear elastic foundation subjected to axial force are studied. The material properties of FGMs 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 assumptions of a small strain and moderate deformation are used. Based on Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and von-Karman geometric nonlinearity, the integral partial differential equation of motion is derived. Then this partial differential equation (PDE) problem, which has quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, is simplified into an ordinary differential equation (ODE) problem by using the Galerkin method. Finally, the governing equation is solved analytically using the variational iteration method (VIM). Some new results for the nonlinear natural frequencies and buckling load of the imperfect functionally graded (FG) beams such as the effects of vibration amplitude, elastic coefficients of foundation, axial force, end supports and material inhomogeneity are presented for future references. Results show that the imperfection has a significant effect on the post-buckling and vibration response of FG beams.     

Approximation of functionally graded plates with non-conforming finite elements

In this paper rectangular plates made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) are studied. A two-constituent material distribution through the thickness is considered, varying with a simple power rule of mixture. The equations governing the FGM plates are determined using a variational formulation arising from the Reissner–Mindlin theory. To approximate the problem a simple locking-free Discontinuous Galerkin finite element of non-conforming type is used, choosing a piecewise linear non-conforming approximation for both rotations and transversal displacement. Several numerical simulations are carried out in order to show the capability of the proposed element to capture the properties of plates of various gradings, subjected to thermo-mechanical loads.     

Nonlinear analysis of buckling,free vibration and dynamic stability for the piezoelectric functionally graded beams in thermal environment

Employing Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the physical neutral surface concept, the nonlinear governing equation for the functionally graded material beam with two clamped ends and surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators is derived by the Hamilton’s principle. The thermo-piezoelectric buckling, nonlinear free vibration and dynamic stability for the piezoelectric functionally graded beams, subjected to one-dimensional steady heat conduction in the thickness direction, are studied. The critical buckling loads for the beam are obtained by the existing methods in the analysis of thermo-piezoelectric buckling. The Galerkin’s procedure and elliptic function are adopted to obtain the analytical solution of the nonlinear free vibration, and the incremental harmonic balance method is applied to obtain the principle unstable regions of the piezoelectric functionally graded beam. In the numerical examples, the good agreements between the present results and existing solutions verify the validity and accuracy of the present analysis and solving method. Simultaneously, validation of the results achieved by rule of mixture against those obtained via the Mori–Tanaka scheme is carried out, and excellent agreements are reported. The effects of the thermal load, electric load, and thermal properties of the constituent materials on the thermo-piezoelectric buckling, nonlinear free vibration, and dynamic stability of the piezoelectric functionally graded beam are discussed, and some meaningful conclusions have been drawn.     

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.     

Analysis of functionally graded plates using higher order shear deformation theory

This work addresses a static analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) plates using higher order shear deformation theory. In the theory the transverse shear stresses are represented as quadratic through the thickness and hence it requires no shear correction factor. The material property gradient is assumed to vary in the thickness direction. Mori and Tanaka theory (1973) [1] is used to represent the material property of FGM plate at any point. The thermal gradient across the plate thickness is represented accurately by utilizing the thermal properties of the constituent materials. Results have been obtained by employing a C° continuous isoparametric Lagrangian finite element with seven degrees of freedom for each node. The convergence and comparison studies are presented and effects of the different material composition and the plate geometry (side-thickness, side–side) on deflection and temperature are investigated. Effect of skew angle on deflection and axial stress of the plate is also studied. Effects of material constant n on deflection and the temperature distribution are also discussed in detail.     

Numerical modeling of free field vibrations due to pile driving using a dynamic soil-structure interaction formulation

This paper presents a numerical model for the prediction of free field vibrations due to vibratory and impact pile driving. As the focus is on the response in the far field, where deformations are relatively small, a linear elastic constitutive behavior is assumed for the soil. The free field vibrations are calculated by means of a coupled FE–BE model using a subdomain formulation. The results show that, in the near field, the response of the soil is dominated by a vertically polarized shear wave, whereas in the far field, Rayleigh waves dominate the ground vibration and body waves are importantly attenuated. Finally, the computed ground vibrations are compared with the results of field measurements reported in the literature.     

Static analysis of functionally graded beams using higher order shear deformation theory

Displacement field based on higher order shear deformation theory is implemented to study the static behavior of functionally graded metal–ceramic (FGM) beams under ambient temperature. FGM beams with variation of volume fraction of metal or ceramic based on power law exponent are considered. Using the principle of stationary potential energy, the finite element form of static equilibrium equation for FGM beam is presented. Two stiffness matrices are thus derived so that one among them will reflect the influence of rotation of the normal and the other shear rotation. Numerical results on the transverse deflection, axial and shear stresses in a moderately thick FGM beam under uniform distributed load for clamped–clamped and simply supported boundary conditions are discussed in depth. The effect of power law exponent for various combination of metal–ceramic FGM beam on the deflection and stresses are also commented. The studies reveal that, depending on whether the loading is on the ceramic rich face or metal rich face of the beam, the static deflection and the static stresses in the beam do not remain the same.     

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.     

Three-dimensional simulation of flat rolling through a combined finite element–boundary element approach

This paper presents an innovative approach for analysing three-dimensional flat rolling. The proposed approach is based on a solution resulting from the combination of the finite element method with the boundary element method. The finite element method is used to perform the rigid–plastic numerical modelling of the workpiece allowing the estimation of the roll separating force, rolling torque and contact pressure along the surface of the rolls. The boundary element method is applied for computing the elastic deformation of the rolls. The combination of the two numerical methods is made using the finite element solution of the contact pressure along the surface of the rolls to define the boundary conditions to be applied on the elastic analysis of the rolls. The validity of the proposed approach is discussed by comparing the theoretical predictions with experimental data found in the literature.     

High-order tetrahedral finite elements applied to large deformation analysis of functionally graded rubber-like materials

In this paper, high-order tetrahedral finite elements are employed to analyze structures and solids composed of functionally graded rubber-like materials under finite displacements, finite strains, statically applied forces and isothermal conditions. In order to do so, the following concepts are used: geometrically nonlinear analysis, Green–Lagrange strain tensor, second Piola–Kirchhoff stress tensor, hyperelastic constitutive relations, isoparametric solid tetrahedral finite elements of any order of approximation, and functionally graded materials. The equilibrium of the body is achieved via the Principle of the Stationary Total Potential Energy. The elements are fully integrated via Gaussian quadratures, and the resultant processing time is reduced by means of parallel techniques. To solve the nonlinear system of equations, the Newton–Raphson iterative procedure is employed.The proposed formulation is validated by benchmark problems such as: the Cook’s membrane and the thick cylinder. Other interesting simulation, the Cook’s block is proposed in order to evaluate high strain gradient situations. The results show that, in the context of the present study, locking-free behavior is obtained with simple mesh refinement.     

Full 3D finite element Cosserat formulation with application in layered structures

In this paper, a full three-dimensional (3D) finite element Cosserat formulation is developed within the principles of continuum mechanics in the small deformation framework. The developed finite element formulation is general; however, the proposed constitutive laws incorporate the effect of the internal length parameter of 3D layered continua. The extension of the existing two-dimensional (2D) Cosserat formulation to the 3D framework is novel and is consistent with plate theory which can be considered as the 3D version of beam theory. The results demonstrate a high level of consistency with the analytical solutions predicted by plate theory as well as predictions by alternative numerical techniques such as the discrete element method.     

Nonlinear finite element analysis of functionally graded plates integrated with patches of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite

In this paper, a nonlinear static finite element analysis of simply supported smart functionally graded (FG) plates in the presence/absence of the thermal environment has been presented. The substrate FG plate is integrated with the patches of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) material which act as the distributed actuators of the plate. The material properties of the FG substrate plate are assumed to be temperature dependent and graded along the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The derivation of this nonlinear thermo-electro-mechanical coupled finite element model is based on the first order shear deformation theory and the Von Karman type geometric nonlinearity. The numerical solutions of the nonlinear equations of the finite element model are obtained by employing the direct iteration method. The numerical illustrations suggest the potential use of the distributed actuator made of the PFRC material for active control of nonlinear deformations of smart FG structures. The effects of volume fraction index of the FG material of the substrate plates and the locations of the PFRC patches on the control authority of the patches are investigated. Emphasis has also been placed on investigating the effect of variation of piezoelectric fiber orientation angle in the PFRC patches on their actuation capability for counteracting the large deflections of FG plates.     

Elastic solutions of a functionally graded cantilever beam with different modulus in tension and compression under bending loads

This paper considers a functionally graded cantilever beam with different modulus in tension and compression. The beam is subjected to bending loads, including pure bending, shear force at the free end and uniform pressure on the upper lateral, respectively. Its modulus values in tension and compression both change with the thickness coordinate as arbitrary functions, which could bring the beam a broader range of applications in engineering. The problem is treated as a plane stress case and described by Airy stress function. By using semi-inverse method, the elastic solutions for the beam are obtained, which can be easily degenerated into the ones for homogeneous beams. An example is finally presented to show the effect of nonhomogeneous materials with different modulus on the elastic field in a cantilever beam.     

Dynamic analysis of functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by randomly oriented carbon nanotube under the action of moving load

This work deals with a study of the vibrational properties of functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by randomly oriented straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) under the actions of moving load. Timoshenko and Euler-Bernoulli beam theories are used to evaluate dynamic characteristics of the beam. The Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach based on an equivalent fiber is used to investigate the material properties of the beam. An embedded carbon nanotube in a polymer matrix and its surrounding inter-phase is replaced with an equivalent fiber for predicting the mechanical properties of the carbon nanotube/polymer composite. The primary contribution of the present work deals with the global elastic properties of nano-structured composite beams. The system of equations of motion is derived by using Hamilton’s principle under the assumptions of the Timoshenko beam theory. The finite element method is employed to discretize the model and obtain a numerical approximation of the motion equation. In order to evaluate time response of the system, Newmark method is also used. Numerical results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms to figure out the effects of various material distributions, carbon nanotube orientations, velocity of the moving load, shear deformation, slenderness ratios and boundary conditions on the dynamic characteristics of the beam. The results show that the above mentioned effects play very important role on the dynamic behavior of the beam and it is believed that new results are presented for dynamics of FG nano-structure beams under moving loads which are of interest to the scientific and engineering community in the area of FGM nano-structures.     

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.