Static plastic analysis of metallic sandwich beam with functionally graded core

Abstract

Optimal design of density gradient is a vibrant research topic in the realm of sandwich structure due to its potential benefits of enhancing mechanical performance. Herein, we propose a general yield criterion for functionally graded sandwich structures that accounts for the continuously varying yield strength distribution and the interaction of plastic bending and stretching in large deflection regime. The yield criterion facilitates the derivation of closed-form analytical solutions that predict the quasi-static response of fully clamped functionally graded sandwich beam subject to transverse loading. The analytical solutions are quantitatively validated by the finite element (FE) simulations and allow for parametric studies to investigate the effect of gradient layout on the load-bearing capability. We find that the symmetric gradient layout with hourglass-shaped density distribution outperforms the uniform counterpart in load-bearing, whereas the trapezoidal gradient layout fails to provide enhanced mechanical performance.