Analysis of micro-sized beams for various boundary conditions based on the strain gradient elasticity theory

Bending analysis of micro-sized beams based on the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory is presented within the modified strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress theories. The governing equations and the related boundary conditions are derived from the variational principles. These equations are solved analytically for deflection, bending, and rotation responses of micro-sized beams. Propped cantilever, both ends clamped, both ends simply supported, and cantilever cases are taken into consideration as boundary conditions. The influence of size effect and additional material parameters on the static response of micro-sized beams in bending is examined. The effect of Poisson’s ratio is also investigated in detail. It is concluded from the results that the bending values obtained by these higher-order elasticity theories have a significant difference with those calculated by the classical elasticity theory.     

Two new refined shear displacement models for functionally graded sandwich plates

Two refined displacement models, RSDT1 and RSDT2, are developed for a bending analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates. Unlike any other theory, the number of unknown functions involved is only four, as against five in case of other shear deformation theories. The developed models are variationally consistent, have strong similarity with classical plate theory in many aspects, do not require shear correction factor, and give rise to transverse shear stress variation such that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness satisfying shear stress-free surface conditions. The accuracy of the analysis presented is demonstrated by comparing the results with solutions derived from other higher-order models. The functionally graded layers are assumed to have isotropic, two-constituent material distribution through the thickness, and the modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio of the faces, and thermal expansion coefficients are assumed to vary according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The core layer is still homogeneous and made of an isotropic ceramic material. Numerical results for deflections and stresses of functionally graded metal–ceramic plates are investigated. It can be concluded that the proposed models are accurate and simple in solving the bending behavior of functionally graded plates.     

Two-dimensional elasticity solution for bending of functionally graded beams with variable thickness

This paper studies the stress and displacement distributions of functionally graded beam with continuously varying thickness, which is simply supported at two ends. The Young’s modulus is graded through the thickness following the exponential-law and the Poisson’s ratio keeps constant. On the basis of two-dimensional elasticity theory, the general expressions for the displacements and stresses of the beam under static loads, which exactly satisfy the governing differential equations and the simply supported boundary conditions at two ends, are analytically derived out. The unknown coefficients in the solutions are approximately determined by using the Fourier sinusoidal series expansions to the boundary conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the beams. The effect of Young’s modulus varying rules on the displacements and stresses of functionally graded beams is investigated in detail. The two-dimensional elasticity solution obtained can be used to assess the validity of various approximate solutions and numerical methods for the aforementioned functionally graded beams.     

Energy-consistent shear coefficients for beams with circular cross sections and radially inhomogeneous materials

An exact computational method for the shear stiffness of beams with circular cross sections and arbitrarily radially inhomogeneous Young’s modulus is presented. We derive the displacement and stress field of a cantilever beam according to 3D theory of elasticity, which requires to solve just a 1D linear boundary value problem. The shear stiffness is obtained by setting the shear strain energy from the exact solution equal to that from technical beam theory. Results and closed analytical formulae are given for several functionally graded and layered cross sections.     

Elasticity solutions for plane anisotropic functionally graded beams

This paper considers the plane stress problem of generally anisotropic beams with elastic compliance parameters being arbitrary functions of the thickness coordinate. Firstly, the partial differential equation, which is satisfied by the Airy stress function for the plane problem of anisotropic functionally graded materials and involves the effect of body force, is derived. Secondly, a unified method is developed to obtain the stress function. The analytical expressions of axial force, bending moment, shear force and displacements are then deduced through integration. Thirdly, the stress function is employed to solve problems of anisotropic functionally graded plane beams, with the integral constants completely determined from boundary conditions. A series of elasticity solutions are thus obtained, including the solution for beams under tension and pure bending, the solution for cantilever beams subjected to shear force applied at the free end, the solution for cantilever beams or simply supported beams subjected to uniform load, the solution for fixed–fixed beams subjected to uniform load, and the one for beams subjected to body force, etc. These solutions can be easily degenerated into the elasticity solutions for homogeneous beams. Some of them are absolutely new to literature, and some coincide with the available solutions. It is also found that there are certain errors in several available solutions. A numerical example is finally presented to show the effect of material inhomogeneity on the elastic field in a functionally graded anisotropic cantilever beam.     

Homogenized and classical expressions for static bending solutions for functionally graded material Levinson beams

The exact relationship between the bending solutions of functionally graded material (FGM) beams based on the Levinson beam theory and those of the corresponding homogenous beams based on the classical beam theory is presented for the material properties of the FGM beams changing continuously in the thickness direction. The deflection, the rotational angle, the bending moment, and the shear force of FGM Levinson beams (FGMLBs) are given analytically in terms of the deflection of the reference homogenous Euler-Bernoulli beams (HEBBs) with the same loading, geometry, and end supports. Consequently, the solution of the bending of non-homogenous Levinson beams can be simplified to the calculation of transition coefficients, which can be easily determined by variation of the gradient of material properties and the geometry of beams. This is because the classical beam theory solutions of homogenous beams can be easily determined or are available in the textbook of material strength under a variety of boundary conditions. As examples, for different end constraints, particular solutions are given for the FGMLBs under specified loadings to illustrate validity of this approach. These analytical solutions can be used as benchmarks to check numerical results in the investigation of static bending of FGM beams based on higher-order shear deformation theories.     

Basic solution of two parallel mode-I permeable cracks in functionally graded piezoelectric materials

The basic solution of two parallel mode-I permeable cracks in functionally graded piezoelectric materials was studied in this paper using the generalized Almansi’s theorem. To make the analysis tractable, it was assumed that the shear modulus varies exponentially along the horizontal axis parallel to the crack. The problem was formulated through a Fourier transform into two pairs of dual integral equations, in which unknown variables are jumps of displacements across the crack surface. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces were directly expanded as a series of Jacobi polynomials. The solution of the present paper shows that the singular stresses and the singular electric displacements at the crack tips in functionally graded piezoelectric materials carry the same forms as those in homogeneous piezoelectric materials; however, the magnitudes of intensity factors depend on the gradient of functionally graded piezoelectric material properties. It was also revealed that the crack shielding effect is also present in functionally graded piezoelectric materials.     

Bending and free vibrational analysis of bi-directional functionally graded beams with circular cross-section

The bending and free vibrational behaviors of functionally graded (FG) cylindrical beams with radially and axially varying material inhomogeneities are investigated. Based on a high-order cylindrical beam model, where the shear deformation and rotary inertia are both considered, the two coupled governing differential motion equations for the deflection and rotation are established. The analytical bending solutions for various boundary conditions are derived. In the vibrational analysis of FG cylindrical beams, the two governing equations are firstly changed to a single equation by means of an auxiliary function, and then the vibration mode is expanded into shifted Chebyshev polynomials. Numerical examples are given to investigate the effects of the material gradient indices on the deflections, the stress distributions, and the eigenfrequencies of the cylindrical beams, respectively. By comparing the obtained numerical results with those obtained by the three-dimensional (3D) elasticity theory and the Timoshenko beam theory, the effectiveness of the present approach is verified.     

Analytical solutions for single- and multi-span functionally graded plates in cylindrical bending

A recently developed plate theory using the concept of shape function of the transverse coordinate parameter is extended to determine the stress distribution in an orthotropic functionally graded plate subjected to cylindrical bending. The transfer matrix method is presented to derive the shape function. The equations governing the plate deformation are then solved analytically using the transfer matrix method for arbitrary boundary conditions. For a simply supported functionally graded plate, a comparison of the present solution with the exact elasticity solution, the first- and third-order shear deformation plate theories is presented and discussed. It is demonstrated that the present method yields more accurate stresses than the first- and third-order shear deformation theories. The effect of boundary conditions and inhomogeneity of material on the displacements and stresses in functionally graded plates are investigated. A multi-span functionally graded plate with arbitrary boundary conditions is further considered to demonstrate the efficiency of the present method.     

Elasticity solution for an FGM cylindrical panel integrated with piezoelectric layers

The three-dimensional elasticity solution for static analysis of a functionally graded material (FGM) cylindrical panel with simply supported edges is developed. The modulus of elasticity varies continuously throughout the thickness direction in the form of an exponential function. The panel is bonded with piezoelectric layers. Using Fourier series expansions in the axial and circumferential directions, the state equations are derived. The stress, displacement and electric potential distributions are obtained by solving these state equations. The influences of the material gradient index, applied voltage, and radius to thickness ratio on the static behavior of FGM shell are also studied.     

Analytical solution of a bilayer functionally graded cantilever beam with concentrated loads

A general two-dimensional solution for a bilayer functionally graded cantilever beam with concentrated loads at the free end is developed. The beam is treated as a nonhomogeneous plane stress problem, and the elastic modulus of each graded layer varies with the thickness as an arbitrary function, respectively, which makes this analytical solution has a wider application than the solutions only considering FGMs as core materials or modeling the face sheets by Euler beam theory. It can be verified the paper’s close solution coincides with the classical one for beams while let the elastic modulus be constants. The methodology presented here could be easily extended to analyze the functionally graded sandwich beams.     

Stress analysis of functionally graded rotating discs: analytical and numerical solutions

This study deals with stress analysis of annular rotating discs made of functionally graded materials(FGMs).Elasticity modulus and density of the discs are assumed to vary radially according to a power law function,but the material is of constant Poisson’s ratio.A gradient parameter n is chosen between 0 and 1.0.When n = 0,the disc becomes a homogeneous isotropic material.Tangential and radial stress distributions and displacements on the disc are investigated for various gradient parameters n by means of the diverse elasticity modulus and density by using analytical and numerical solutions.Finally,a homogenous tangential stress distribution and the lowest radial stresses along the radius of a rotating disc are approximately obtained for the gradient parameter n = 1.0 compared with the homogeneous,isotropic case n = 0.This means that a disc made of FGMs has the capability of higher angular rotations compared with the homogeneous isotropic disc.     

A comprehensive analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates: Part 1—Deflection and stresses

A two-dimensional solution is presented for bending analysis of simply supported functionally graded ceramic–metal sandwich plates. The sandwich plate faces are assumed to have isotropic, two-constituent material distribution through the thickness, and the modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio of the faces are assumed to vary according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The core layer is still homogeneous and made of an isotropic ceramic material. Several kinds of sandwich plates are used taking into account the symmetry of the plate and the thickness of each layer. We derive field equations for functionally graded sandwich plates whose deformations are governed by either the shear deformation theories or the classical theory. Displacement functions that identically satisfy boundary conditions are used to reduce the governing equations to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients. Numerical results of the sinusoidal, third-order, first-order and classical theories are presented to show the effect of material distribution on the deflections and stresses.     

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory is presented. The developed theory, which does not require shear correction factor, accounts for shear deformation effect and coupling coming from the material anisotropy. Governing equations of motion are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. The resulting coupling is referred to as triply coupled axial-flexural response. A two-noded Hermite-cubic element with five degree-of-freedom per node is developed to solve the problem. Numerical results are obtained for functionally graded beams with simply-supported, cantilever-free and clamped-clamped boundary conditions to investigate effects of the power-law exponent and modulus ratio on the displacements, natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes.     

Measurement of length-scale and solution of cantilever beam in couple stress elasto-plasticity

Owing to the absence of proper analytical solution of cantilever beams for couple stress/strain gradient elasto-plastic theory, experimental studies of the cantilever beam in the micro-scale are not suitable for the determination of material length-scale. Based on the couple stress elasto-plasticity, an analytical solution of thin cantilever beams is firstly presented, and the solution can be regarded as an extension of the elastic and rigid-plastic solutions of pure bending beam. A comparison with numerical results shows that the current analytical solution is reliable for the case of σ0 〈〈 H 〈〈 E, where σ0 is the initial yield strength, H is the hardening modulus and E is the elastic modulus. Fortunately, the above mentioned condition can be satisfied for many metal materials, and thus the solution can be used to determine the material length-scale of micro-structures in conjunction with the experiment of cantilever beams in the micro-scale.     

功能梯度中厚圆/环板轴对称弯曲问题的解析解

基于一阶剪切变形板理论，导出了热/机载荷作用下，位移形式的功能梯度 中厚圆/环板轴对称弯曲问题的控制方程，获得了问题的位移和内力的一般解析解. 作为特 例，分别研究了边缘径向固定和可动的夹紧和简支的4种实心功能梯度圆板，给出了它们的 解，并分析了热/机载荷作用下解的形态，讨论了横向剪切变形、材料梯度常数和边界条件， 对板的轴对称弯曲行为的影响.     

Bending analysis of thin functionally graded plates using generalized differential quadrature method

In this paper, the differential quadrature (DQ) method is presented for easy and effective analysis of isotropic functionally graded (FG) and functionally graded coated (FGC) thin plates with constant Poisson’s ratio and varying Young’s modulus in the thickness direction. The bending of FG and FGC plates under transverse loading has been studied using the polynomial differential quadrature (PDQ) and the harmonic differential quadrature (HDQ) methods. A three-dimensional elasticity solution for a moderately thick FG plate with exponential Young’s modulus is used as the benchmark. Two examples, including a thin FG rectangular plate and a thin FGC rectangular plate with sigmoidal Young’s modulus, are investigated. The numerical results of PDQ and HDQ methods reveal good agreement with other solutions. Also, it is shown that the formulations for thin FG plates and homogeneous plates are similar, except that the plane strain components of the middle surface in FG plates are not zero.     

纵横载荷作用下功能梯度梁的弯曲和过屈曲

基于一阶非线性梁理论和物理中面概念,导出了纵横向载荷作用下功能梯度材料(FGM)梁非线性弯曲和过屈曲问题的控制方程,并获得了该问题的精确解;据此解研究了梯度材料性质、外载荷、横向剪切变形以及边界条件等因素对功能梯度材料梁非线性力学行为的影响,分析中假设功能梯度材料性质只沿梁厚度方向,并按成分含量的幂指数函数形式变化。结果表明:纵横载荷共同作用下,功能梯度梁的弯曲构形将有无限多个;随着梯度指数的增大,梁的变形减小,临界载荷升高;随着长高比的增大,横向剪切变形的影响减小。     

Bending of orthotropic plates resting on Pasternak’s foundations using mixed shear deformation theory

The mixed first-order shear deformation plate theory(MFPT) is employed to study the bending response of simply-supported orthotropic plates.The present plate is subjected to a mechanical load and resting on Pasternak’s model or Winkler’s model of elastic foundation or without any elastic foundation.Several examples are presented to verify the accuracy of the present theory.Numerical results for deflection and stresses are presented.The proposed MFPT is shown simplely to implement and capable of giving satisfactory results for shear deformable plates under static loads and resting on two-parameter elastic foundation.The results presented here show that the characteristics of deflection and stresses are significantly influenced by the elastic foundation stiffness,plate aspect ratio and side-to-thickness ratio.     

Elastic and viscoelastic solutions to rotating functionally graded hollow and solid cylinders

Analytical solutions to rotating functionally graded hollow and solid long cylinders are developed. Young＇s modulus and material density of the cylinder are assumed to vary exponentially in the radial direction, and Poisson＇s ratio is assumed to be constant. A unified governing equation is derived from the equilibrium equations, compatibility equation, deformation theory of elasticity and the stress-strain relationship. The governing second-order differential equation is solved in terms of a hypergeometric function for the elastic deformation of rotating functionally graded cylinders. Dependence of stresses in the cylinder on the inhomogeneous parameters, geometry and boundary conditions is examined and discussed. The proposed solution is validated by comparing the results for rotating functionally graded hollow and solid cylinders with the results for rotating homogeneous isotropic cylinders. In addition, a viscoelastic solution to the rotating viscoelastic cylinder is presented, and dependence of stresses in hollow and solid cylinders on the time parameter is examined.