Thermo-elastoplastic analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates using a three-dimensional meshless model

Abstract

In this paper, for the first time, three-dimensional (3D) thermo-elastoplastic bending analysis of functionally graded (FG) sandwich plates with FG face sheets and FG/homogeneous core subjected to combined thermal and mechanical loads is performed. It is assumed that the functionally graded material (FGM) is composed of two different constituents (metal-ceramic) whose volume fractions vary continuously in the thickness direction according to a power law. The von-Mises yield criterion and isotropic strain hardening rule are employed, while temperature-dependent thermal and mechanical properties of the materials are taken into account. A complete 3D meshless numerical model based on the local radial point interpolation method (LRPIM) is developed and used in all analyses. Several numerical examples for temperature, deflection and stress analysis of FG sandwich plates are presented considering different material gradients, layer thickness ratios, thickness-to-length ratios, and boundary conditions. The numerical results are compared with the existing results of 3D, quasi-3D, and 2D shear deformation theories and an excellent agreement is observed.