This work aims to develop a novel assumed strain finite element model based on an improved first-order shear deformation theory (IFSDT) for static and free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) plates. This IFSDT contains only five unknowns, and its distribution of the shear strain functions is quadratic across the plate thickness, satisfying the stress-free boundary conditions at the plate’s upper and lower surfaces without any shear correction coefficients commonly used in the standard first-order shear deformation theory. In the framework of the strain approach and using the IFSDT, a four-node quadrilateral plate element containing six degrees of freedom per node is formulated. This new element does not require any shear-locking treatment and its displacement fields are assumed using polynomial functions with 24 coefficients. A simple power law distribution is used to represent the FG plate properties which are considered to vary continuously through thickness. The membrane-bending coupling due to the plate heterogeneity across the thickness is avoided by introducing the concept of the neutral plane. Numerical results on the deflections, stresses, and frequencies of circular and rectangular FG plates with different types of boundary conditions and for a wide range of materials are examined to assess the accuracy of the present model. An excellent efficiency in the analysis of FG plates is demonstrated from the results obtained of the suggested element which is free from any shear locking.
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