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Composites Part B
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compositesb

An exact three dimensional solution for bending of thick rectangular FGM

plate
Zahra Vafakhah, Bahram Navayi Neya∗
Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Civil Engineering Department, P.O. Box 484, Shariati Ave, Babol, Mazandaran, 47148-71167, Iran

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study uses the displacement potential function, DPF, to present an exact solution for bending of functionally
Exact solution graded, FGM, thick plates. The plates are simply-supported rectangular, isotropic, and nonhomogeneous, with
Thick rectangular plates exponential variation of Young's modulus along their thickness Using the DPF, the governing equations are
FGM simplified to second and fourth order partial differential equations solved by using the separation of variables
Displacement potential function
method and applying exact boundary conditions. The solution is applicable to any plate with no restriction on its
thickness as well as to all FGM plates. The results are compared with other existing analytical and numerical
results for thin, moderately thick, and thick plate. Comparisons show excellent agreement making the method
applicable and reliable for various kinds of material properties, thickness ratios and loading conditions without
any simplifying assumptions such as for strain or stress distribution in plate thickness. Various inhomogeneity,
thicknesses, and aspect ratios are also investigated with respect to plate responses with results showing that
increase in inhomogeneity, and decrease of aspect ratio and FGM plate thickness result in decrease in the di-
mensionless transverse displacement of the plate. Moreover, the effects of increasing inhomogeneity on trans-
verse displacement are more significant for thicker plates and higher aspect ratios.

1. Introduction considered variations in modulus of elasticity in the forms of power,

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are a class of advanced
composite materials with nonhomogeneous microstructure and variable
properties in one or more dimension. Classical composite material
structures have discontinuity of properties in layers interface, and as a
result, stress concentration occurs at high temperatures, particularly
where two metals with different coefficients of expansion are used
[1,2], and functionally graded materials have emerged as a solution to
this problem. Preparation of FGMs occurs in such a way that the
properties of the constituents change continuously, so there is no spe-
cific interface between two materials and the characteristics of two or
more materials of the composite remain [3,4]. FGMs are usually made
from ceramics and metals with material properties such as the Young's
modulus vary from a metal-rich surface to a ceramic-rich surface [5],
with the metallic part providing the required fracture toughness and
ceramic part supplying thermal resistance [6].
In recent years, many studies have been conducted on analysis and
modelling of FGMs, eventually leading to impressive developments in
studies on FGM plates. For example, a bending solution for FGM plates
using classical plate theory (CPT) combined with a spline finite-strip
method has been presented by Beena and Parvathy [7]. They
sigmoid, and exponential functions and obtained deflection and stress
results validated by a Fourier series solution [3]. Nguyen et al. [8], used
first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the finite-element
method to analyze FGM plates. In that study the plates were analyzed
under mechanical and thermal loads and the method's accuracy was
corroborated. In 2013, bending and free vibration of thick rectangular
FGM plates using simple first-order shear-deformation theory were in-
vestigated by Thai and Choi [9], resulting in a theory with identical
accuracy to that of FSDT theory but with fewer unknowns. Xiang and
Kang [10] used different higher-order shear-deformation theories
(HSDTs) developed by Levinson [11], Touratier [12], Karama [13],
Aydogdu [14], and Mantari [15] to model FGM plates. They also solved
governing equations using numerical methods and their results, eval-
uated in comparison with other available solutions, demonstrated high
accuracy of their method for thin FGM plates. In 2015, a higher-order
hyperbolic shear deformation theory for analyzing FGM plates was
proposed by Nguyen [16]. Nguyen used Hamilton's principle to derive
equations of motion solved using Navier-type solutions. The results of
his study were in good agreement with different HSDTs with results
close to those of quasi-3D theory in many cases. Quasi-3D theories are
higher-order deformation theories that consider both shear strain and

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: Zahra_vafakhah@yahoo.com (Z. Vafakhah), Navayi@nit.ac.ir (B. Navayi Neya).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.08.036

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Received 5 July 2018; Accepted 9 August 2018

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