Reliability assessment of different plate theories for elastic wave propagation analysis in functionally graded plates

The importance of elastic wave propagation problem in plates arises from the application of ultrasonic elastic waves in non-destructive evaluation of plate-like structures. However, precise study and analysis of acoustic guided waves especially in non-homogeneous waveguides such as functionally graded plates are so complicated that exact elastodynamic methods are rarely employed in practical applications. Thus, the simple approximate plate theories have attracted much interest for the calculation of wave fields in FGM plates. Therefore, in the current research, the classical plate theory (CPT), first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) are used to obtain the transient responses of flexural waves in FGM plates subjected to transverse impulsive loadings. Moreover, comparing the results with those based on a well recognized hybrid numerical method (HNM), we examine the accuracy of the plate theories for several plates of various thicknesses under excitations of different frequencies. The material properties of the plate are assumed to vary across the plate thickness according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of volume fractions of constituents. In all analyses, spatial Fourier transform together with modal analysis are applied to compute displacement responses of the plates. A comparison of the results demonstrates the reliability ranges of the approximate plate theories for elastic wave propagation analysis in FGM plates. Furthermore, based on various examples, it is shown that whenever the plate theories are used within the appropriate ranges of plate thickness and frequency content, solution process in wave number-time domain based on modal analysis approach is not only sufficient but also efficient for finding the transient waveforms in FGM plates.     

Wave propagation of functionally graded material plates in thermal environments

The wave propagation of an infinite functionally graded plate in thermal environments is studied using the higher-order shear deformation plate theory. The thermal effects and temperature-dependent material properties are both taken into account. The temperature field considered is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the plate surface and varied in the thickness direction only. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Considering the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia, the governing equations of the wave propagation in the functionally graded plate are derived by using the Hamilton’s principle. The analytic dispersion relation of the functionally graded plate is obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem. Numerical examples show that the characteristics of wave propagation in the functionally graded plate are relates to the volume fraction index and thermal environment of the functionally graded plate. The influences of the volume fraction distributions and temperature on wave propagation of functionally graded plate are discussed in detail. The results carried out can be used in the ultrasonic inspection techniques and structural health monitoring.     

Nonlinear free vibration behavior of functionally graded plates

In this paper, an analytical solution is provided for the nonlinear free vibration behavior of plates made of functionally graded materials. The material properties of the functionally graded plates are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness, according to a power-law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. The fundamental equations for thin rectangular plates of functionally graded materials are obtained using the von Karman theory for large transverse deflection, and the solution is obtained in terms of mixed Fourier series. The effect of material properties, boundary conditions and thermal loading on the dynamic behavior of the plates is determined and discussed. The results reveal that nonlinear coupling effects play a major role in dictating the fundamental frequency of functionally graded plates.     

Stability and vibration of isotropic,orthotropic and laminated plates according to a higher-order shear deformation theory

A higher-order shear deformation theory is used to determine the natural frequencies and buckling loads of elastic plates. The theory accounts for parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the thickness of the plate and rotary inertia. Exact solutions of simply supported plates are obtained and the results are compared with the exact solutions of three-dimensional elasticity theory, the first-order shear deformation theory, and the classical plate theory. The present theory predicts the frequencies and buckling loads more accurately when compared to the first-order and classical plate theories.     

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded plates using the element-free kp-Ritz method

A free vibration analysis of metal and ceramic functionally graded plates that uses the element-free kp-Ritz method is presented. The material properties of the plates are assumed to vary continuously through their thickness according to a power-law distribution of the volume fractions of the plate constituents. The first-order shear deformation plate theory is employed to account for the transverse shear strain and rotary inertia, and mesh-free kernel particle functions are used to approximate the two-dimensional displacement fields. The eigen-equation is obtained by applying the Ritz procedure to the energy functional of the system. Convergence studies are performed to examine the stability of the proposed method, and comparisons of the solutions derived with those reported in the literature are provided to verify its accuracy. Four types of functionally graded rectangular and skew plates—Al/Al₂O₃, Al/ZrO₂, Ti–6Al–4V/Aluminum oxide, and SUS304/Si₃N₄—are included in the study, and the effects of the volume fraction, boundary conditions, and length-to-thickness ratio on their frequency characteristics are discussed in detail.     

Interfacial stress analysis of functionally graded beams strengthened with a bonded hygrothermal aged composite plate

This paper reports an improved analytical solution for analysis the problem of interface stresses in functionally graded beam (FGB) strengthened with bonded hygrothermal aged composite plates. The material properties of the functionally graded beam are supposed to vary according to power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents through the beam thickness. The obtained results are compared with the existing solutions in the literature to verify the validity of the new analytical approach. It is found that the inhomogeneities play an important role in reducing the stress concentrations along bi-material interfaces. Finally, a parametric study was carried out to show the effects of the fiber volume fraction, the hygrothermal effect, and some design variables, e.g. thickness of adhesive layer and FRP plate on the magnitude of maximum shear and normal stress.     

Free Vibration Analysis of Nanocomposite Plates Reinforced by Graded Carbon Nanotubes Based on First-Order Shear Deformation Plate Theory

Based on the Mindlin's first-order shear deformation plate theory this paper focuses on the free vibration behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite plates reinforced by aligned and straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The material properties of simply supported functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (FGCNTR) plates are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction. The effective material properties at a point are estimated by either the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach or the extended rule of mixture. Two types of symmetric carbon nanotubes (CNTs) volume fraction profiles are presented in this paper. The equations of motion and related boundary conditions are derived using the Hamilton's principle. A semi-analytical solution composed of generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method, as an efficient and accurate numerical method, and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motions. The primary contribution of the present work is to provide a comparative study of the natural frequencies obtained by extended rule of mixture and Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka method. The detailed parametric studies are carried out to study the influences various types of the CNTs volume fraction profiles, geometrical parameters and CNTs volume fraction on the free vibration characteristics of FGCNTR plates. The results reveal that the prediction methods of effective material properties have an insignificant influence of the variation of the frequency parameters with the plate aspect ratio and the CNTs volume fraction.     

Semi-Analytical Solution for Functionally Graded Solid Circular and Annular Plates Resting on Elastic Foundations Subjected to Axisymmetric Transverse Loading

In this paper, the static analysis of functionally graded (FG) circular plates resting on linear elastic foundation with various edge conditions is carried out by using a semi-analytical approach. The governing differential equations are derived based on the three dimensional theory of elasticity and assuming that the mechanical properties of the material vary exponentially along the thickness direction and Poisson's ratio remains constant. The solution is obtained by employing the state space method (SSM) to express exactly the plate behavior along the graded direction and the one dimensional differential quadrature method (DQM) to approximate the radial variations of the parameters. The effects of different parameters (e.g., material property gradient index, elastic foundation coefficients, the surfaces conditions (hard or soft surface of the plate on foundation), plate geometric parameters and edges condition) on the deformation and stress distributions of the FG circular plates are investigated.     

VIBRATION CHARACTERISTICS AND TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF SHEAR-DEFORMABLE FUNCTIONALLY GRADED PLATES IN THERMAL ENVIRONMENTS

Free and forced vibration analyses for initially stressed functionally graded plates in thermal environment are presented. Material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Theoretical formulations are based on Reddy's higher order shear deformation plate theory and include the thermal effects due to uniform temperature variation. The plate is assumed to be clamped on two opposite edges with the remaining two others either free, simply supported or clamped. One-dimensional differential quadrature technique, Galerkin approach, and the modal superposition method are used to determine the transient response of the plate subjected to lateral dynamic loads. Comprehensive numerical results for silicon nitride/stainless-steel rectangular plates are presented in dimensionless tabular and graphical forms. The roles played by the constituent volume fraction index, temperature rise, shape and duration of dynamic loads, initial membrane stresses as well as the character of boundary conditions are studied. The results reveal that, when thermal effects are considered, functionally graded plates with material properties intermediate to those of isotropic ones do not necessarily have intermediate natural frequencies and dynamic responses.     

Vibrations of annular plates including the effects of rotatory inertia and transverse shear deformation

An investigation of the natural vibrations of isotropic annular plates of uniform thickness has been made by considering the effects of rotatory inertia and shear deformation. The frequency determinantal equations are derived in explicit form for nine sets of common boundary conditions. Numerical results for the frequency parameters of annular plates having various thickness ratios and inner to outer radii ratios have been obtained. The results are compared with those given by the classical plate theory wherever possible. Among the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotatory inertia, the effect of shear deformation has been found to be more prominent.     

Thermal postbuckling and vibration analyses of functionally graded plates

Thermal postbuckling and vibration behaviors of the functionally graded (FG) plate are investigated. The material properties of the FG plate are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness of the plate and as temperature with the nonlinearity. The nonlinear finite element equations based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory are formulated for the FG plate. The von Karman nonlinear strain–displacement relationship is used to account for the large deflection of the plate. The incremental form considering the initial displacement and initial stress is adopted for the nonlinear temperature-dependent material properties of the functionally graded material. The numerical result shows the characteristics of the thermal postbuckling and vibration of the FG plate in the pre- and post-buckled regions.     

Thermodynamical Bending of FGM Sandwich Plates Resting on Pasternak's Elastic Foundations

The analysis of thermoelastic deformations of a simply supported functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich plates subjected to a time harmonic sinusoidal temperature field on the top surface and varying through-the-thickness is illustrated in this paper. The FGM sandwich plates are assumed to be made of three layers and resting on Pasternak's elastic foundations. The volume fractions of the constituents of the upper and lower layers and, hence, the effective material properties of them are assumed to vary in the thickness direction only whereas the core layer is still homogeneous. When in-plane sinusoidal variations of the displacements and the temperature that identically satisfy the boundary conditions at the edges, the governing equations of motion are solved analytically by using various shear deformation theories as well as the classical one. The influences of the time parameter, power law index, temperature exponent, top-to-bottom surface temperature ratio, side-to-thickness ratio and the foundation parameters on the dynamic bending are investigated.     

Forced vibration analysis of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates using a numerical strategy

In this paper, the nonlinear forced vibration behavior of composite plates reinforced by carbon nanotubes is investigated by a numerical approach. The reinforcement is considered to be functionally graded (FG) in the thickness direction according to a micromechanical model. The first-order shear deformation theory and von Kármán-type kinematic relations are employed. The governing equations and the corresponding boundary conditions are derived with the use of Hamilton's principle. The generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method is utilized to achieve a discretized set of nonlinear governing equations. A Galerkin-based scheme is then applied to obtain a time-varying set of ordinary differential equations of Duffing-type. Subsequently, a time periodic discretization is done and the frequency response of plates is determined via the pseudo-arc length continuation method. Selected numerical results are given for the effects of different parameters on the nonlinear forced vibration characteristics of uniformly distributed carbon nanotube- and FG carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates. It is found that with the increase of CNT volume fraction, the flexural stiffness of plate increases; and hence its natural frequency gets larger. Moreover, it is observed that the distribution type of CNTs significantly affects the vibrational behavior of plate. The results also show that when the mid-plane of plate is CNT-rich, the natural frequency takes its minimum value and the hardening-type response of plate is intensified.     

2-D differential quadrature solution for vibration analysis of functionally graded conical, cylindrical shell and annular plate structures

This paper focuses on the dynamic behavior of functionally graded conical, cylindrical shells and annular plates. The last two structures are obtained as special cases of the conical shell formulation. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is used to analyze the above moderately thick structural elements. The treatment is developed within the theory of linear elasticity, when materials are assumed to be isotropic and inhomogeneous through the thickness direction. The two-constituent functionally graded shell consists of ceramic and metal that are graded through the thickness, from one surface of the shell to the other. Two different power-law distributions are considered for the ceramic volume fraction. The homogeneous isotropic material is inferred as a special case of functionally graded materials (FGM). The governing equations of motion, expressed as functions of five kinematic parameters, are discretized by means of the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. The discretization of the system leads to a standard linear eigenvalue problem, where two independent variables are involved without using the Fourier modal expansion methodology. For the homogeneous isotropic special case, numerical solutions are compared with the ones obtained using commercial programs such as Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, Straus, Pro/Mechanica. Very good agreement is observed. Furthermore, the convergence rate of natural frequencies is shown to be very fast and the stability of the numerical methodology is very good. Different typologies of non-uniform grid point distributions are considered. Finally, for the functionally graded material case numerical results illustrate the influence of the power-law exponent and of the power-law distribution choice on the mechanical behavior of shell structures.     

Vibro-acoustic response and sound transmission loss analysis of functionally graded plates

This paper presents analytical studies on the vibro-acoustic and sound transmission loss characteristics of functionally graded material (FGM) plates using a simple first-order shear deformation theory. The material properties of the plate are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the constituent materials in terms of volume fraction. The sound radiation due to sinusoidally varying point load, uniformly distributed load and obliquely incident sound wave is computed by solving the Rayleigh integral with a primitive numerical scheme. Displacement, velocity, acceleration, radiated sound power level, radiated sound pressure level and radiation efficiency of FGM plate for varying power law index are examined. The sound transmission loss of the FGM plate for several incidence angles and varying power law index is studied in detail. It has been found that, for the plate being considered, the sound power level increases monotonically with increase in power law index at lower frequency range (0–500 Hz) and a non-monotonic trend is appeared towards higher frequencies for both point and distributed force excitations. Increased vibration and acoustic response is observed for ceramic-rich FGM plate at higher frequency band; whereas a similar trend is seen for metal-rich FGM plate at lower frequency band. The dBA values are found to be decreasing with increase in power law index. The radiation efficiency of ceramic-rich FGM plate is noticed to be higher than that of metal and metal-rich FGM plates. The transmission loss below the first resonance frequency is high for ceramic-rich FGM plate and low for metal-rich FGM plate and further depends on the specific material property. The study has found that increased transmission loss can be achieved at higher frequencies with metal-rich FGM plates.     

Three-dimensional analysis for transient coupled thermoelastic response of a functionally graded rectangular plate

The generalized coupled thermoelasticity based on the Lord-Shulman theory is considered to study the transient thermoelastic response of functionally graded rectangular plates. The state equations of functionally graded rectangular plate subjected to time-dependent thermal loads were established by using of state space approach, in which three displacement components, three stress components, the temperature and the heat flux were chosen as state variables. By giving simply supported boundary conditions and assuming that the material properties of the plate have an exponential law distribution along the thickness-coordinate, the equations were solved by the numerical Laplace transformations and shooting methods for transient thermal responses of a three dimensional functionally graded rectangular plate due to a thermal shock on its top surface. Effects of the volume fraction distributions of material constituents on the thermal responses, including the temperature change, the displacement and the stresses distributions were investigated.     

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded curved panels using a higher-order finite element formulation

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded curved panels is carried out using a higher-order formulation. A C⁰ finite element formulation is used to carry out the analysis. The element consists of nine degrees of freedom per node with higher-order terms in the Taylor's-series expansion, which represents the higher-order transverse cross-sectional deformation modes. The formulation includes Sanders’ approximation for doubly curved shells considering the effects of rotary inertia and transverse shear. A realistic parabolic distribution of transverse shear strains through the shell thickness is assumed and the use of shear correction factor is avoided. Material properties are assumed to be temperature independent and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Heat conduction between ceramic and metal constituents is neglected. The accuracy of the formulation is validated by comparing the results with those available in the literature. Effects of panel geometry parameters and boundary conditions are studied.     

Shear deformable versus classical theories for nonlinear vibrations of rectangular isotropic and laminated composite plates

In the present study, (i) the classical Von Kárman theory, (ii) the first-order shear deformation theory and (iii) the higher-order (third-order) shear deformation theory are compared for studying the nonlinear forced vibrations of isotropic and laminate composite rectangular plates. In particular, the harmonic response in the frequency neighborhood of the fundamental mode of rectangular plates is investigated and the response curves computed by using the three different theories are compared. The boundary conditions of the plates are simply supported with immovable edges. Geometric imperfections are taken into account. Calculations for isotropic and laminated composite plates are presented and results are discussed. For isotropic plates, the frequency-response curves for large-amplitude vibrations obtained by using the three theories are almost coincident. For laminated composite plates, differences arise for relatively thick plates (ratio between the thickness and the edge equal to 0.1), while for thin plates (ratio between the thickness and the edge equal to 0.01), no difference is obtained. For all cases, the first-order shear deformation (with shear correction factor ) and the higher-order shear deformation theories give practically coincident results and differences are observed with respect to the classical Von Kárman theory.     

Free vibration and parametric resonance of shear deformable functionally graded cylindrical panels

This paper investigates free vibration and dynamic instability of functionally graded cylindrical panels subjected to combined static and periodic axial forces and in thermal environment. Theoretical formulations are based on Reddy's higher order shear deformation shell theory to account for rotary inertia and the parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the panel thickness. Thermal effects due to steady temperature change are included in the analysis. Material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent and graded in the thickness direction according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The panel under current consideration is clamped or simply supported on two straight edges and may be either free, simply supported or clamped on the curved edges. A semi-analytical approach, which takes the advantages of one-dimensional differential quadrature approximation, Galerkin technique and Bolotin's method, is employed to determine the natural frequencies and the unstable regions of the panel. Numerical results for silicon nitride/stainless-steel cylindrical panels are given in both dimensionless tabular and graphical forms. Effects of material composition, temperature rise, panel geometry parameters, and boundary conditions on free vibration and the parametric resonance are also studied.     

Nonlinear dynamic response and active vibration control for piezoelectric functionally graded plate

The nonlinear dynamic response and active vibration control of the piezoelectric functionally graded plate are analyzed in this paper. Based on higher-order shear plate theory and elastic piezoelectric theory, the nonlinear geometric and constitutive relations of the piezoelectric functionally graded plate are established, and then the nonlinear motion equations of the piezoelectric functionally graded plate are obtained through Hamilton's variational principle. The nonlinear active vibration control of the structure is carried out with adoption of the negative velocity feedback control algorithm. By applying finite difference method, the whole problem is solved by using iterative method synthetically. In numerical examples, the effects of mechanical load, electric load, the volume fraction and the geometric parameters on the dynamic response and vibration control of the piezoelectric FGM plate are investigated.