Bending analysis of functionally graded thick plates with in-plane stiffness variation

Abstract

In the present paper, functionally graded (FG) materials are presented to investigate the bending analysis of simply supported plates. It is assumed that the material properties of the plate vary through their length according to the power-law form. The displacement field of the present model is selected based on quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory. By splitting the deflection into bending, shear and stretching parts, the number of unknowns and equations of motion of the present formulation is reduced and hence makes them simple to use. Governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual displacements. Numerical results for deflections and stresses of powerly graded plates under simply supported boundary conditions are presented. The accuracy of the present formulation is demonstrated by comparing the computed results with those available in the literature. As conclusion, this theory is as accurate as other shear deformation theories and so it becomes more attractive due to smaller number of unknowns. Some numerical results are provided to examine the effects of the material gradation, shear deformation on the static behavior of FG plates with variation of material stiffness through their length.