Effects of thickness stretching in FGM plates using a quasi-3D higher order shear deformation theory

Abstract

In this paper, a higher order shear and normal deformation theory is presented for functionally graded material (FGM) plates. By dividing the transverse displacement into bending, shear and thickness stretching parts, the number of unknowns and governing equations for the present theory is reduced, significantly facilitating engineering analysis. Indeed, the number of unknown functions involved in the present theory is only five, as opposed to six or even greater numbers in the case of other shear and normal deformation theories. The present theory accounts for both shear deformation and thickness stretching effects by a hyperbolic variation of ail displacements across the thickness and satisfies the stress-free boundary conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate without requiring any shear correction factor. Equations of motion are derived from Hamiltonas principle. Analytical solutions for the bending and free vibration analysis are obtained for simply supported plates. The obtained results are compared with three-dimensional and quasi- three-dimensional solutions and those predicted by other plate theories. It can be concluded that the present theory is not only accurate but also simple in predicting the bending and free vibration responses of functionally graded plates.