Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Engineering Structures
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engstruct

A unified variational method for vibration of functionally graded porous

beams with variable curvature under arbitrary boundary condition
Qiang Zhang a, Runxin Zhang a, Jinpeng Su a, b, *, Yuyan Jiang a
a
Collage of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qianwangang Road 579, Qingdao 266590, China
b
State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dongchuan Road 800, Shanghai 200240, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Curved beams with variable curvature can be encountered in many engineering cases, but continuous and
Curved beam complex changes of the radius and center can lead to challenges for dynamic modeling of these structures. In this
Variable curvature paper, a unified variational approach for vibration analysis of a beam with variable curvature is derived in global
FGP
Cartesian coordinates. The material properties and porosity of the beam are continuously changed along the
Modified variational method
Vibration
thickness direction. Continuity constraints are added to the adjacent sections of the beam using proposed
variational principles to ensure that accurate solutions can be obtained with any basis functions and under
arbitrary boundary conditions. Compared with the available results in the literatures or using FEM, the
convergence and accuracy of this method are proved. Parabolic beams are developed as examples to demonstrate
the robust performance of the proposed method for parameter study. The effects of power-law index, porosity
and parabolic parameters on the natural frequencies of the beam with variable curvature are analyzed. Partic­
ularly, the influences of geometric shape on the natural frequencies of beam is presented under various boundary
conditions, which has important guiding significance for the vibration research of irregularly curved beam
structures.

1. Introduction
Curved beams are widely used in modern engineering [1], such as
mechanical, aerospace, civil engineering and so on, because of their
excellent bearing characteristics. Moreover, beams with different cur­
vatures are usually connected together in practice for special engineer­
ing requirements, for instance, bridge [2], helicopter propeller blades
[3], rotating blades [4], curved tracks [5] and satellite antennas. Modal
analysis can help structures avoid resonance and provide physical basis
for optimal design of these structures [6]. Meanwhile, recently func­
tionally gradient materials (FGM) are widely applied for the reason of
fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance and low stress concentration [7].
Thus, vibration behaviors of FGM beams with different curvatures have
been paid more and more attentions.
Compared with straight beams, the existence of curvature leads to
the coupling of deformations in all directions, which makes it more
difficult to solve the governing equations. For example, most borehole
axes of oil and gas wells are complex three-dimensional curved lines,
resulting in a circular arc of variable curvature in the borehole rather
than straight lines. The rotation and complex movement of drill string
make it difficult to study its dynamic characteristics [8]. Besides, with
rapid development of railway track networks, curved bridges have also
been widely applied for the reasons of its strong terrain adaptability.
However, the curvature will cause a strong impact during the train
travelling, which will induce the vibration of the bridge and track,
reducing the service life of the structure [9]. At present, researchers
mainly focuses on vibration analysis of circular curved beams and many
modelling methods have been proposed. Hosseini et al. [10] developed
an innovative approach based on a curve reparameterization technique
to solve the natural frequency problem of free-form Euler-Bernoulli
curved beams using isogeometric analysis (IGA). Yang et al. [11] pre­
sented an interval finite element method for the free vibration analysis
of arches. Other numerical methods such as differential quadrature
element method [12] were also developed to determine the natural
frequencies and mode shapes of curved beams.
For beams with variable curvature, the radius and center of the beam
are complicated due to the change of curvature. This brings great
challenges to vibration modeling of these kinds of beams. K-Bariki et al.
[13] established a discrete composite curved beam with variable radius
and cross-section. Semi-analytical method and finite element method

* Corresponding author
E-mail address: suchen@alumni.sjtu.edu.cn (J. Su).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.115948
Received 10 December 2022; Received in revised form 1 March 2023; Accepted 3 March 2023
Available online 13 March 2023
0141-0296/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

(FEM) were used for convergence analysis. The effects of geometric vibration of FGP curved beams under arbitrary boundary conditions.
parameters and boundary conditions on vibration characteristics of Continuity constraints are added to the adjacent sections of the beam
composite beams were studied. Tang et al. [14] studied the buckling using proposed variational principles to ensure that accurate solutions
characteristics of parabolic arch structures by using the eigenvalue can be obtained under any basis functions. Compared with the available
method, which has high accuracy in calculating the buckling strength of results in the literatures, the convergence and accuracy of this method
parabolic arch bridges with a span<200 m. Based on FEM and modeling are proved. Parabolic beams are developed as examples to demonstrate
the crack with a spring, Eroglu et al. [15] constructed a parabolic arch the robust performance of the proposed method for parameter study.
with initial damage, and influences of the initial load on the natural The effects of the geometric and material parameters on the natural
frequencies and damage detection were examined. Yang et al. [16] frequencies of the FGP beams are then studied in detail. The research of
developed high-order Lagrangian-type curved beam elements for free results has important guiding significance for vibration analysis of
vibration analysis of curved beams with variable curvatures. Jočković irregularly curved beam.
et al. [17] presented a novel approach based on the fundamental re­
lations of the differential geometry and Cauchy continuum beam model 2. Mathematical formulation
to investigate free vibration of Bernoulli–Euler and Rayleigh curved
beams. 2.1. Description of the FGP beam with variable curvature
Moreover, introduction of FGM to improve mechanical performances
of these beam structures will further reinforce the modelling difficulty. As shown in Fig. 1, a beam with variable curvature is constructed in
More hard efforts may be needed to guarantee accuracy of the results Cartesian coordinate system, where R0 and Rn are the radius corre­
[18]. Doroushi et al. [19] derived the governing equations of motion for sponding to starting and ending edges of the beam, respectively. Rx is the
the functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPM) beams in ther­ radius of the beam centerline at an arbitrary point with x. h and b denote
mal environment. Finite element method (FEM) was employed to obtain the length and width dimensions of the beam interface, respectively. u, w
the free and transient vibration responses. Sharma et al. [20] presented and φ, denote the tangential, radial and rotational displacements of the
the harmonic differential orthogonal method (HDQ) for solving free middle surface of the beam, respectively.
vibration of FGPM beams, and the effects of boundary conditions and Assuming that the curve equation of beam with variable curvature in
geometric parameters on the natural frequencies of FGPM beams was Cartesian coordinate system is y = f (x), the arc-length ds of any seg­
analyzed. Ebrahimi et al. [21,22] developed an energy method for the ments of the FGP beam with variable curvature can be expressed as:
dynamic behaviors of simply supported FGPM curved nanobeams sub­ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
ject to both electric and mechanical load. Bi et al. [23] studied the in­ ds = 1 + (f ′ (x))2 dx （ 1 ）
fluences of the geometrical nonlinearity on the dynamic stability of the
Euler-Bernoulli FGPM beams. The Hamilton’s principle and a pertur­ Three types of FGP with different porosity models are introduced as
bation method were used to derive and solve the governing equations, shown in Fig. 1. The first one is FGM without porous, that is, the
respectively. properties of materials change continuously and smoothly in the height
Due to the technical defects, porosity will inevitably appear during direction without voids. According to the Voigt’s rule of mixture [35],
the preparation of FGM, which leads to changes in the strength and the material properties may be defined as:
dynamic properties of FGM structures [24–27]. Nevertheless, proper (
1 z
)p
porosity can significantly reduce the weight while not greatly affect the Y= + (YO − YI ) + YI （ 2 ）
2 h
strength. Therefore, porous material may also be used for lightweight
structures and various porosity material models have been proposed where YO and YI represent the material properties for the outer and
[28–31]. Gao et al. [32] studied the dynamic buckling and free vibration inner surfaces, respectively. p is the power-law index, which determines
characteristics of FGP beams under different boundary conditions. The the material variation profile with respect to the thickness h of the beam.
influence of porosity model and boundary conditions on the dynamic z denotes the vertical distance from the point inside the beam to the
behavior of the structure is studied. Lei et al. [33] employed an artificial centerline.
spring method to develop vibration models for single and multi-span In addition, two porosity models are constructed according to
FGP beams with flexible boundary conditions. Discrete singular convo­ Ref. [36]. The material properties of the uniform porosity model can be
lution element method (DSCEM) and Taylor series expansion method defined as:
(TSE) were used to solve governing equation of motion. Chen et al. [34] (
1 z
)p
ξ
deduced the governing equation of functionally graded porous (FGP) Y= + (YO − YI ) + YI − (YO + YI )
2 h 2
beams, and the impact response and vibration characteristics of the FGP
（ 3 ）
beam are studied.
From the literature review, investigations on vibration of FGP curved where ξ is the volume fraction of porosities and usually ξ is much
beams with variable curvature under arbitrary boundary conditions are smaller than 1. It is interesting to note that if ξ = 0, the model turns into
of great significance, yet few quite few papers can be available. Curva­ the perfect functionally graded material.
ture changes and material complexity for FGP need to be both consid­ In addition, the material properties of non-uniform porosity model
ered, and great challenges may be encountered in the modeling process, can be defined as:
especially under various boundary conditions. Energy methods will have ( )p ( )
1 z ξ 2|z|
advantages over differential equation based method e.g. differential Y= + (YO − YI ) + YI − (YO + YI ) 1−
2 h 2 h
quadrature (DQ) method, as material, geometric and boundary
complexity lead to difficulties in developing differential governing （ 4 ）
equations of FGP curved beams with curvature under arbitrary bound­
ary conditions. Moreover, the need to accommodate the boundary 2.2. Modified variational formulation for FGP beam with variable
conditions for the admissible functions greatly limits the use of tradi­ curvature
tional energy methods, such as the Rayleigh–Ritz method, while self-
lock problems can be seen and error modes will yield for the widely In order to relieve the limitation that the admissible functions need
used numerical methods such as finite element methods (FEM) to satisfy the internal and boundary conditions, a modified principle is
[1,17,18]. derived by the Lagrange multipliers. The beam is divided into Nb free-
Thus, this paper presents a unified modified variational method for free beam segments for high computational accuracy. Based on

2
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of FGP beam with variable curvature.

Timoshenko beam theory, the energy functional of each beam segment ∫ ∫ { ( )2 ( )2 }

is derived. In addition, the introduced Lagrange multiplier ensures the
x h/2
bi ∂ui wi ∂φ ∂wi ui
Ui = Q11 + +z i + κQ55 − + φi dzds
continuity constraint of the internal interface and boundary of the beam, 2 0 − h/2 ∂s Rx ∂s ∂s Rx
the energy functional Π of the beam can be given as: （ 11 ）
∫ t1 Nb
∑ ( )
̃ i,i+1 where κi is the shear correction factor, which is introduced for a
Π= Ti − Ui + Wf ,i dt + Π
t0 i=1
Timoshenko beam to achieve results closer to those of higher-order
（ 5 ） shear deformation theory.
The kinetic energy functional of the FGP beam segment may be
where Ui and Ti represent the strain energy and kinetic energy of the defined as:
ith FGP beam with variable curvature segment, respectively. Wf,i de­ ∫ ∫ ( )
bi x h/2
notes the work due to external forces. Π ̃ i,i+1 is the interface potential Ti = ρi u̇2p,i + ẇ2p,i dzds
functional term introduced by the Lagrange multipliers. 2 0 − h/2
∫ x( )
As shown in Fig. 1, assuming that u, and w are the axial and normal 1
= I0,i u̇2i + 2I1,i u̇i φ̇i + I2,i φ̇2i + I0,i ẇ2i ds
displacement at an arbitrary point M (x, y), then based on the first-order 2 0
shear deformation theory (FSTD) the displacement components can be （ 12 ）
defined as [37]:
where the dot over a variable is the differentiation with respect to
u(x, z, t) = ui (x, t) + zφi (x, t), w(x, z, t) = wi (x, t) time t. From the derivation, the inertial terms (I0,i, I1,i, I2,i) can be given
（ 6 ） as:
where ui, wi and φi are the axial, normal and rotational displacements ( )
∫ h/2
( )
of the middle surface of the ith FGP beam segment, respectively. The I0,i , I1,i , I2,i = ρi bi 1, z, z2 rdz
− h/2
strain–displacement relation can then be expressed as:
（ 13 ）
R R
εθθ = x (εθ0 + zεφ ), εrθ = x εrθ0 Assume the axial force, normal force and moment with respect to the
r r
span angle acting on the mid-surface as fu,i, fw,i and fβ,i, respectively.
where r = Rx + z. is the radius of the beam at an arbitrary point with Then, the work due to external forces may be given as:
x. The change of surface strain and curvature can be expressed by ∫
( )
displacement and rotation components as [38]: Wf ,i = fu,i ui + fw,i wi + fφ,i φi ds （ 14 ）
∂ui wi ∂φ ∂wi ui
εθ0 = + , εφ = i , εrθ0 = − + φi With respect to the interface or boundary energy introduced by the
∂ s Rx ∂s ∂s Rx
modified variational principle, the energy functional is defined as
According to the constitutive relation of FGP, stress–strain can be ∫ t1 ∑[∑ ∫ h/2 ]
defined by matrix as [39]: ̃
Πi,i+1 = bi [ϛu λi Θu + ϛw βi Θw + ϛφ ηi Θφ ]dz dt
{ } [ ]{ } t0 i,+1 i,i+1 − h/2
σθθ Q11 0 εθθ
= （ 9 ） （ 15 ）
σrθ 0 Q55 εrθ
Q11 and Q55 are the stiffness coefficients related to the elastic mod­ where Θu = ui-ui+1, Θw = wi-wi+1, Θu = φi-φi+1, λi, βi and γi are the
ules E and shear modules G, expressed as: Lagrange multipliers for the interfaces between the ith and i + 1th beam
segments. ϛt (t = u, w, φ) is used to distinguish the internal interfaces
Q11 =
E
, Q55 = G =
E
（ 10 ） between the adjacent beam segments and boundaries. ϛt = 1 stands for
1 − υ2 2(1 + υ) two adjacent beam segments. For the boundaries, only some constraints
where ν is the poisson’s ratio. Based on the Timoshenko beam theory, need to be imposed according to the boundary conditions, namely, not
the strain energy can be obtained as follows [39]: all of ϛt is one. The value of ϛt taken for classical boundary conditions is
given in Table 1.
According to the Hamilton’s principle, The functional П in Eq. (5) is

3
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Table 1 individually taken to demonstrate the proposed method allows flexible

Values of ϛt = (t = u, w, φ) for classical boundary conditions. choice of admissible functions. Since the COPFK, COPSK and LOPFK are
Boundary condition ϛu ϛw ϛφ complete and orthogonal series defined on τ ∈ [ − 1, 1] interval, there­
fore, define a mapping relationship from τ (τ ∈ [τi , τi+1 ]) to τ
Free (F) 0 0 0
Simply supported (S) 1 1 0 (τ ∈ [ − 1, 1]) for each beam segment. The mapping can be written as
Clamped (C) 1 1 1 [42]:
τi+1 − τi τi+1 + τi
τ = τ+ （ 19 ）
stationary (i.e., δП = 0) for the solution in the independent quantities ui, 2 2
wi, φi, λi, βi, andηi. Submitting Eqs(11)-(14) into Eq.(5), integrating δП by For other linearly independent, complete polynomials, only the in­
parts and collecting the coefficients of δui, δwi, δφi, δλi, δβi, δηi, the terval τ need to be changed. Submitting Eqs. (11)-(14) into Eq. (5), and
Lagrange multipliers can be determined as performing variation operation with respect to the generalized coordi­
( ) nate vectors, the governing equations of the FGP beam with variable
∂ui wi ∂φ
λi = Q11 + +z i （ 16a ） curvature can be expressed:
∂s r ∂s
( ) Mϊ + (K − K λ + K κ )ι = F （ 20 ）
∂wi ui Rx
βi = κQ55 − + φi （ 16b ） where the disjoint beam segments determine the generalized stiff­
∂s r r
ness matrix K and mass matrix M. Kλ and Kκ are the generalized interface
(
∂ui wi ∂φ
) stiffness matrices of Lagrange multipliers and least-square residuals
ηi = zQ11 + +z i （ 16c ） introduced by variational method. F is the generalized force vector. The
∂s r ∂s
generalized coordinate vector ι is defined as ι =
In this paper, a least-square weighted residual term is introduced to T
uT1 , w
[̃ ̃ T1 , ⋯, u
̃1 , φ ̃TNb , w
̃ TNb , φ
̃ TNb ]T . ι and F can be written as ϊejωt and Fejωt for
ensure the stable and accurate numerical solution of the governing
the steady-state responses. Then Eq. (20) turns to be:
equation, which can be expressed as:
[ ]
∫ t1 ∑
[ ] (K − Kλ + K κ ) − ω2 M ϊ = F （ 21 ）
̃κ = 1
Π ϛu κu Θ2u + ϛw κw Θ2w + ϛφ κφ Θ2φ dt
i,i+1
2 t0 i,i+1 For the free vibration, F is zero, calculating the roots of the deter­
（ 17 ） minant of the coefficient matrix, the natural frequencies and the corre­
sponding mode shapes can be obtained.
where κu, κw and κφ, are the weighted parameters. This term comes
from the concept of Nitsche method [40] for dynamic problems with
3. Numerical results and discussion
multiple domains. As shown in Ref. [41], the frequency parameters
converge rapidly with the increasing value of the weighted parameter,
In order to prove the convergence, accuracy, and superiority of the
and the weighted parameter ranging from 10E to 107E will result in
presented method, in this paper, a parabolic beam is established, as
reasonably converged solutions, with E being the elastic modulus of the
shown in Fig. 2. The parabolic parameter o = 2, and the span of para­
beam. Thus, the weighted parameters equal to 1014 are conservatively
bolic beam ranges from x0 = 0 to xn = 3. A large number of numerical
used in the following analysis.
examples of free vibration of FGP beams with variable curvature are
given by considering various boundary conditions. A simple letter string
2.3. Governing equations of motion will indicate the boundary conditions for the beam edges, e.g. the
symbol F-E1 denotes that the beam is free and elastic supported with
For the traditional energy methods such as Ritz method, it is neces­ spring constants for elastic boundary case 1 at the left and right edges,
sary to select reasonable admissible functions to satisfy the continuity respectively. Three kinds of elastic boundary conditions are considered
and boundary conditions of the beam segments. However, the varia­ in this paper, labeled as E1, E2 and E3. The spring constants in all three
tional method proposed in this paper is completely independent on the directions are taken as 104, 106 and 108N/m or N/rad for E1, E2 and E3,
boundaries of the beam segment, which ensures the flexibility of respectively. In addition, the effects of the distribution properties of the
selecting the admissible functions. The displacement of the FGP beam material, geometric parameters on the free vibration of FGP beams are
segment can be expressed as: discussed. The dimensionless frequency is introduced to facilitate

Np
∑
u(γ) = Tn (γ)̃ u(t)
un (t) = U(γ)̃ （ 18a ）
n=0

Np
∑
w(γ) = Tn (γ)̃
wn (t) = W(γ)̃
w(t)
n=0

（ 18b ）

Np
∑
φ(γ) = Tn (γ)̃ φ(t)
φn (t) = Ψ(γ)̃ （ 18c ）
n=0

Tn(γ) is the nth order polynomials, Np denotes the taken number of

the terms of polynomials. U(γ), W(γ) and Ψ(γ) are the admissible
displacement function, ̃ un (t),w
̃ n (t) and φ
̃ n (t) are the generalized coor­
dinate variables and ̃ u, w
̃ and φ ̃ denotes the generalized coordinate
vectors.
In this paper, Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials of the first kind
(COPFK), Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials of the second kind
(COPSK) and Legendre orthogonal polynomials of first kind (LOPFK) are Fig. 2. Center line of parabolic beam (Parabolic equation: x2 = 2*o*y).

4
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

numerical study, and the material parameters are selected from Table 3
Ref. [43], outer surface: Al:E1 = 70GPa, ν1 = 0.3, ρ1 = 2702 kg/m3, inner Comparison of the first six natural frequencies of parabolic beam (h = 0.1）.
surface: Al2O3:E0 = 380GPa, ν2 = 0.3, ρ1 = 3960 kg/m3; in addition, b = Mode no. 1 2 3 4 5 6
0.1 m, according to the full discussion in Ref. [44], the shear correction
FEM 33.440 92.377 181.452 298.631 442.572 611.065
factor κ = 0.8322. Present 33.430 92.358 181.507 298.120 442.723 610.821

3.1. Convergence and verification

Table 4
Considering the limitation of computer capacity and computing Comparison of the first three dimensionless natural frequencies of functionally
time, the number of the beam segments and the order of the admissible graded (FG) curved beams with different geometric parameters (C–C).
functions in Eq. (18) cannot be infinite in practical computations. Hence, Mode no. h/l θ = 2π/3, l = 1
it is very important to conduct convergence analysis in order to achieve
Present Ref. [45] Ref. [46]
a balance between computing speed and numerical accuracy. The first
five dimensionless natural frequencies of FGP beams with variable 1 0.1 8.26 8.23 8.27
2 10.60 10.72 10.73
curvature are shown in Table 2, it is not difficult to see that this method
3 18.32 18.32 18.50
can obtain stable convergence through a very small number of beam
segments. Therefore, Nb = 10 is taken for the next numerical calculation
to ensure the calculation accuracy and save time. It is also worth noting
Table 5
excellent agreements can be seen among the results for the three kinds of
Comparison of the first four natural frequencies of functionally graded curved
orthogonal polynomials, demonstrating that the proposed method al­
beams.
lows flexible choice of the admissible functions.
Since there is no available results for FGP curved beams with variable Boundary conditions Mode no. θ = 1 rad, R = 0.5

curvature in literature, the proposed method is validated step by step. Present Ref. [45] Ref. [46]
Firstly, finite element methods (FEM) are employed to show the pro­ C-F 1 239.48 239.05 240.36
posed method can accurately consider continuous curvature changes for 2 1284.25 1228.81 1238.27
curved beams. The FE model for the parabolic curved beams with ho­ 3 3378.59 3375.48 3393.39
mogenous material Al is developed in ANSYS and the dimensions of the 4 4407.83 4373.35 4398.46

beam are in Table 2. There are 300 beam elements in the FE model. The
first six natural frequencies results are shown in Table 3, the present
results in this paper agree well with the calculated results of the FEM. Table 6
Most of the natural frequencies agree very well up to the second digit. Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature
The slight differences may result from different beam theories used in under different boundary conditions（o = 2, p = 1, h/l = 0.01）.
FEM. In order to verify the accuracy of this method in vibration analysis Porosity ξ F-F C-F C-S C–C C-E3 F-E3
of FGP beams, the same FGP curved beams are developed according to Model
Refs. [45–46]. It can be seen from Tables 4 and 5, the results of the Type II 0 1.4849 0.2437 2.8300 3.7215 3.6961 0.2431
presented method are in good agreement with those in the references. 0.1 1.4521 0.2383 2.7656 3.6398 3.6187 0.2377
0.2 1.4049 0.2305 2.6735 3.5221 3.5053 0.2300
Above all, the presented method is accurate and reliable in the vibration
Type III 0 1.4849 0.2437 2.8300 3.7215 3.6961 0.2431
analysis of FGP beams with variable curvature. 0.1 1.4932 0.2450 2.8446 3.7420 3.7175 0.2444
0.2 1.5014 0.2464 2.8589 3.7624 3.7389 0.2458
3.2. Parametric study

Based on the above verification, the influences of geometric and Table 7

material parameters on the free vibration characteristics of FGP beams Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature
with variable curvature are studied in this subsection. It is noteworthy under different boundary conditions（o = 2, ξ = 0.1, h/l = 0.01）.
that in the parabolic beam model constructed by this example, the Porosity p F-F C-F C-S C–C C-E3 F-E3
smaller the parabolic parameter o, the greater the bending degree of the Model
beam. Type II 0.5 1.3381 0.2195 2.5469 3.3535 3.3382 0.2191
Tables. 6-8 show the dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP 1 1.4521 0.2382 2.7656 3.6398 3.6186 0.2377
beams with variable curvature under different boundary conditions. 2 1.5623 0.2563 2.9804 3.9163 3.8878 0.2556
Type III 0.5 1.3934 0.2286 2.6531 3.4912 3.4727 0.2282
Different power-law index p and the thickness-to-arc length ratio h/l are
1 1.4931 0.2450 2.8445 3.7420 3.7175 0.2444
taken into account. For all the examples involved here, reducing the 2 1.5903 0.2609 3.0343 3.9860 3.9542 0.2602
value of h/l will lead to increase in the fundamental natural frequency of
FGP beams with variable curvature, as the stiffness of FGP beams with
variable curvature are inversely proportional to the value of h/l. The influences of porosity coefficient ξ on dimensionless fundamental

Table 2
Convergence of dimensionless natural frequencies of FGP beams with variable curvature under F-F boundary condition. (o = 2, x0 = 0, xn = 3, h = 0.1, b = 0.1, p = 1, ξ
= 0.1, Type II).
Mode no. COPFK COPSK LOPFK

Nb = 2 Nb = 3 Nb = 5 Nb = 10 Nb = 20 Nb = 10 Nb = 10

1 1.4552 1.4524 1.4530 1.4538 1.4538 1.4538 1.4538

2 3.9930 4.0264 4.0196 4.0189 4.0189 4.0189 4.0189
3 7.8978 7.8911 7.9026 7.9010 7.9010 7.9011 7.9010
4 13.0178 13.0073 13.0193 13.0136 13.0136 13.0137 13.0137
5 19.2897 19.2859 19.3000 19.3031 19.3031 19.3032 19.3032

5
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Table 8
Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature under different boundary conditions（o = 2, ξ = 0.1, p = 1）.
Porosity Model h/l F-F C-F C-S C–C C-E3 F-E3

Type II 0.005 1.4510 0.2379 2.7808 3.6467 3.6442 0.2373

0.01 1.4521 0.2383 2.7657 3.6398 3.6187 0.2377
0.1 1.4284 0.2385 1.7216 2.3004 0.8711 0.1699
Type III 0.005 1.4921 0.2447 2.8600 3.7498 3.74696 0.2440
0.01 1.4932 0.2450 2.8446 3.7420 3.7175 0.2444
0.1 1.4661 0.2451 1.7544 2.3267 0.8669 0.1699

frequency depends largely on porosity model. For the uniform porosity

model (Type II), the frequency decreases with increase in porosity co­ Table 10
Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature at
efficient ξ under arbitrary boundary conditions, while for the non-
different h/l under C–C boundary condition (o = 2).
uniform porosity model (Type III), the frequency changes just the
opposite. It is worth noting that the dimensionless fundamental fre­ Porosity ξ h/l = 0.005 h/l = 0.01 h/l = 0.1
Model
quency for uniform porosity model changes more sharp than that for p = 0.5 p=2 p = 0.5 p=2 p = 0.5 p=2
non-uniform porosity model. In addition, the increase in p for each Type II 0 3.4915 3.9598 3.4837 3.9512 2.1336 2.4809
porosity model will lead to the increase of dimensionless fundamental 0.1 3.3602 3.9244 3.3536 3.9164 2.0850 2.4824
frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature. 0.2 3.1610 3.8748 3.1561 3.8676 2.0137 2.4825
Comparing the data in Tables 6-8, it can also be found that the Type III 0 3.4915 3.9598 3.4837 3.9512 2.1336 2.4809
0.1 3.4991 3.9948 3.4913 3.9860 2.1284 2.4951
dimensionless fundamental frequency of the same size FGP beams with 0.2 3.5037 4.0320 3.4959 4.0231 2.1216 2.5103
variable curvature is the maximum under C–C boundary condition. This
is because the stiffness of the structure are positively correlated with the
boundary stiffness, and as shown in Eqs. (15) and (17), from free to fixed
Table 11
boundary conditions the boundary stiffness is from zero to infinite. To
Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature at
show this phenomenon more clearly, dimensionless fundamental fre­ different o under C–C boundary condition (h/l = 0.01).
quencies of FGP beams with variable curvature under different elastic
Porosity o=1 o=4 o=6
boundary conditions are given in Table 9. It can be seen that regardless
ξ
Model
of whether one end of the beam is fixed or free, increase in the boundary p = 0.5 p=2 p = 0.5 p=2 p = 0.5 p=2
stiffness at the other end leads to rise in the fundamental frequency. Type II 0 3.1252 3.5450 3.7672 4.2726 3.8524 4.3694
When the stiffness value of the elastic boundary exceeds a certain 0.1 3.0088 3.5140 3.6261 4.2347 3.7078 4.3304
threshold (the stiffness of the beam), the frequency tends to converge, 0.2 2.8321 3.4705 3.4120 4.1817 3.4885 4.2760
Type III 0 3.1252 3.5450 3.7672 4.2726 3.8524 4.3694
and the elastic boundary becomes a fixed boundary.
0.1 3.1319 3.5762 3.7754 4.3103 3.8607 4.4079
Table. 10 gives the dimensionless fundamental frequencies of FGP 0.2 3.1360 3.6095 3.7804 4.3505 3.8657 4.4489
beams with variable curvature under C–C boundary condition with
different values of h/l. For any porosity models, the dimensionless
fundamental frequencies of FGP beams with variable curvature is posi­ increasing curvature. This change is independent of the porosity
tively correlation with the power-law index p. However, the effect of the parameter ξ, power-law index p and the ratio of thickness-to-arc length
porosity coefficient ξ on the dimensionless fundamental frequencies of h/l.
FGP beams with variable curvature is closely related to the porosity As mentioned above, the effects of porosity model on the vibration of
model. For uniform porosity model (Type II), the increase in porosity FGP beams with variable curvature is completely different with different
coefficient ξ leads to the decrease in the dimensionless fundamental power-law index p. Therefore, the effects of porosity parameter ξ and
frequencies of FGP beams with variable curvature. For non-uniform power-law index p on the free vibration of FGP beam with variable
porosity model (Type III), the change is just the opposite. It is worth curvature under C-F and C–C boundary conditions are illustrated in
noting that this change is more sensitive in the uniform porosity model Figs. 3 and 4, respectively.
and is independent with the value of h/l. As shown in Fig. 3, for the uniform porosity model (Type II), the
Influences of parabolic parameters on the vibration of FGP beams dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP beam with variable
with variable curvature are presented in Table 11. It is important to note curvature increases with the increase in p for the C-F and C–C boundary
that when the parabolic parameters change, the span of the beam will condition. When p is in the range of 0 ~ 2, the dimensionless funda­
also be changed in the coordinate system to ensure that the total length mental frequency of the FGP beam increases very rapidly, while when p
of the beam remains constant. As seen in Table 11, with the increase in > 2, the dimensionless fundamental frequency changes slowly. Never­
parabolic parameter, the dimensionless fundamental frequencies of the theless, the influence of porosity coefficient on dimensionless funda­
FGP beams with variable curvature increases gradually, indicating that mental frequencies is more complex. When p is in the range from 0 to 4,
the stiffness of the FGP beams with variable curvature decrease with the dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP beam with variable
curvature decreases with increasing porosity coefficient ξ. The smaller p
is, the more sensitive the influence of porosity coefficient on the
Table 9
Dimensionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature
dimensionless fundamental frequency will be. When p > 4, the dimen­
under different elastic boundary conditions（o = 2, p = 1, h/l = 0.01）. sionless fundamental frequency of FGP beams with variable curvature is
positively correlated with porosity coefficient ξ, and varies slowly.
Porosity ξ F-E1 F-E2 F-E3 C-E1 C-E2 C-E3
Model
As shown in Fig. 4, for the non-uniform porosity model (Type III), the
effects of the power law index p are similar to those for the uniform
Type II 0 0.0674 0.2309 0.2431 0.4204 1.6511 3.6961
porosity model. However, the effects of the porosity are quite different.
0.1 0.0710 0.2274 0.2377 0.4301 1.6853 3.6187
0.2 0.0749 0.2216 0.2300 0.4403 1.7208 3.5053 The effects of the porosity tend to less depend on p, and the dimen­
Type III 0 0.0674 0.2309 0.2431 0.4204 1.6511 3.6961 sionless fundamental frequencies of FGP beams with variable curvature
0.1 0.0692 0.2326 0.2444 0.4278 1.6792 3.7175 are positively correlated with the porosity for almost all p. Moreover, the
0.2 0.0711 0.2344 0.2458 0.4358 1.7093 3.7389 influences of the porosity coefficient on the fundamental frequency of

6
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Fig. 3. Influence of material properties on dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP curved beams with uniform porosity model and under (a) C-F and (b)
C–C boundary conditions (h/l = 0.01, o = 2).

Fig. 4. Influence of material properties on dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP curved beams with non-uniform porosity model and under (a) C-F and
(b) C–C boundary conditions (h/l = 0.01, o = 2).

FGP beams with variable curvature are not so significant for any power
law index p. Interestingly, the effects of the porosity coefficient ξ and
power-law index p on the fundamental frequency of FGP beams with
variable curvature seem to be insensitive to the boundary conditions for
both porosity models.
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, overall, distribution type of the voids can
only slightly affect the fundamental frequency of the FGP beams, while
the fundamental frequency of the FGP beams is on a significant rise with
increase in the power-law index p for all concerned curvatures. The ef­
fects of parabolic parameter o are significant and closely connected to
the boundary conditions. Under C-F boundary conditions, when o < 1.5,
the dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP beams is in a
positive connection with the parabolic parameter, while for o > 1.5 the
connection turns to be negative. With regard to the C–C boundary
condition, the dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP beams
remain to be positively correlated with all concerned, and is more sen­
sitive to the smaller parabolic parameter (o = 0 ~ 2.5) than to the larger
ones (o > 2.5).
In order to investigate influences of the geometric and material pa­
rameters on the natural frequencies of other modes of the FGP curved
beams, dimensionless natural frequencies for different modes under
different boundary conditions are shown with respect to power law

Fig. 5. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP curved beams with (a) Type II and (b) Type
III under C-F boundary conditions (h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).

7
Q. Zhang et al.
Fig. 6. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on dimensionless fundamental frequency of the FGP curved beams with (a) Type II and (b) Type
III under C–C boundary conditions (h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).
index and parabolic parameter in Figs. 6-10.
As shown in Fig. 7, under C-F boundary condition, the natural fre­
quency for the first-order bending mode decreases and then increases
with the increase in the parabolic parameter, and the minimum
dimensionless natural frequency appears at o = 1. The second-order
bending frequency changes similarly to the first-order bending fre­
quency, but the minimum dimensionless natural frequency occurs at o =
0.5. Regarding the first two flexural–torsional modes, the natural fre­
quencies are not in a monotone relation with the parabolic parameter,
however they are firstly increase and then decease, as shown in Fig. 8. It
is worth noting, continuous curvature changes make the bending-
torsional and bending-shearing coupled vibrations in the beams more
pronounced, which may lead to failure of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory
for even high thickness-to-arc length ratio.
Fig. 9 shows the fundamental and 9th modal frequencies of the FGP
beams with variable curvature under S-F boundary condition. The
dimensionless natural frequency for the first mode of FGP beams with
variable curvature is negatively correlated with the parabolic parame­
ters. The smaller parabolic parameters (0 < o < 4) have greater in­
fluences on the fundamental frequency of FGP beams than the larger
parabolic parameters (o > 4). For the ninth mode, the effects of the
parabolic parameter become more complicated and significant fluctua­
tion in frequency variation with respect to o can be observed.
As shown in Fig. 10, under C–C boundary condition, the natural
frequency for the first two flexural modes increases and then decreases
with increase in the parabolic parameter. However, the maximum
values of these two flexural modes do not correspond to the same
parabolic parameter. Above all, quite different effects of the curvature
changes of the FGP curved beams can be observed for different modes
and different boundary conditions.
Fig. 7. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on (a) the first and (b) the second bending frequencies of the FGP curved beams under C–C
boundary conditions(h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).
8
Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948
4. Conclusion
In this paper, a unified variational method for vibration of FGP
curved beams with variable curvature is derived in Cartesian coordinate
system under arbitrary boundary conditions. Continuous curvature
changes and material complexity of FGP are taken into consideration.
The continuity constraints of internal interfaces and boundaries of the
beam are enhanced by a modified variational principle, and a unified
accurate vibration solution can be efficiently obtained for the FGP
curved beams with variable curvature under classical or elastic bound­
ary conditions. By comparing with the results in existing literature or
from FEM, the effectiveness of the proposed method is gradually vali­
dated. The effects of power law index, porosity and geometric parame­
ters on the natural frequencies of the FEP curved beams are studied.
We can find that the fundamental frequency variation trend of FGP
beams with variable curvature is insensitive to the boundary conditions
when the parabolic parameters are constant. The effects of porosity
coefficient on the fundamental frequency of the FGP beams are related
to the power-law index, especially for the uniform porosity model. There
it a critical value of the power-law index where an opposite effect of the
porosity coefficient on the fundamental frequency can be observed.
For all the cases concerned in this paper, the natural frequencies of
the FGP curved beams with variable curvature is decreased by
decreasing the power-law index. The effects of parabolic parameter on
the natural frequencies of the FGP beam is closely related to the
boundary conditions and mode shapes. Bending-torsional and bending-
shearing coupling leads to a very complex effect of parabolic parameters
on the vibration of FGP beams with variable curvature, especially for
relatively high order modes.
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

Fig. 8. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on (a) the first and (b) the second flexural–torsional modal frequencies of the FGP curved beams
under C-F boundary condition(h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).

Fig. 9. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on (a) the first and (b) the ninth modal frequencies of the FGP curved beams under S-F boundary
condition(h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).

Fig. 10. Influences of geometric parameters and material properties on (a) the second and (b) the third modal frequencies of the FGP curved beams under C–C
boundary condition (h/l = 0.01, ξ = 0.001).

Declaration of Competing Interest Acknowledgments

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of
China (Grant nos. 52234005, 52174144 and 52174120), Shandong
Taishan Scholars and Young Experts Program, China (Grant no.
tsqn201909113), and Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation,
China (No. ZR2020QA044).

Data will be made available on request.

9
Q. Zhang et al. Engineering Structures 284 (2023) 115948

References [24] Liu T, Liang WG, Wang QS, Qin B, Guo CC, Wang A. Random vibration study of
functionally graded porous curved beams with elastically restrained ends. Eng
Struct 2022;270:114874.
[1] Su J, Zhou K, Qu Y, Hua H. A variational formulation for vibration analysis of
[25] Gao K, Gao W, Chen D, Yang J. Nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded
curved beams with arbitrary eccentric concentrated elements. Arch Appl Mech
graphene platelets reinforced porous nanocomposite plates resting on elastic
2018;88(7):1089–104.
foundation. Composite structures, 204:831–46.
[2] Adamakos T, Vayas I, Vayas I, Ilipoulos A. Modeling of curved composite I-girder
[26] Gao K, Gao W, Wu BH, Wu D, Song CM. Nonlinear primary resonance of
bridges using spatial systems of beam elements. J Constr Steel Res 2011;67(3):
functionally graded porous cylindrical shells using the method of multiple scales.
462–70.
Thin-Walled Struct 2018;125:281–93.
[3] Rafiee M, Nitzsche F, Labrosse M. Dynamics, vibration and control of rotating
[27] Chen D, Yang J, Schneider J, Kitipornchai S, Zhang LH. Impact response of inclined
composite beams and blades: a critical review. Thin-Walled Struct 2017;119:
self-weighted functionally graded porous beams reinforced by graphene platelets.
795–819.
Thin-Walled Struct 2022;179:109501.
[4] Meng H, Lien FS, Yee E, Shen JF. Modelling of anisotropic beam for rotating
[28] Akbas S. Thermal effects on the vibration of functionally graded deep beams with
composite wind turbine blade by using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)
porosity. Int J Appl Mech 2017;09(05):556–69.
method. Renew Energy 2020;162:2361–79.
[29] Chen D, Yang J, Kitipornchai S. Elastic buckling and static bending of shear
[5] Luo J, Zhu SY, Zhai MW. Formulation of curved beam vibrations and its extended
deformable functionally graded porous beam. Compos Struct 2015;133:54–61.
application to train-track spatial interactions. Mech Syst Sig Process 2021;165:
[30] Chen D, Yang J, Kitipornchai S. Free and forced vibrations of shear deformable
108390.
functionally graded porous beams. Int J Mech Sci 2016;108:14–22.
[6] Su J, He W, Zhang K, Zhang Q, Qu Y. Vibration analysis of functionally graded
[31] Chen D, Kitipornchai S, Yang J. Nonlinear free vibration of shear deformable
porous cylindrical shells filled with dense fluid using an energy method. App Math
sandwich beam with a functionally graded porous core. Thin-Walled Struct 2016;
Model 2022;108:167–88.
107:39–48.
[7] Zhou K, Huang X, Tian J, Hua H. Vibration and flutter analysis of supersonic
[32] Gao K, Huang Q, Kitipornchai S, Yang J. Nonlinear dynamic buckling of
porous functionally graded material plates with temperature gradient and resting
functionally graded porous beams. Mech Adv Mater Struct 28(4):418–29.
on elastic foundation. Compos Struct 2018;204:63–79.
[33] Lei YL, Gao K, Wang WM, Yang J. Dynamic behaviors of single- and multi-span
[8] Hu YB, Di QF, Zhu WP, Chen ZF, Wang WC. Dynamic characteristics analysis of
functionally graded porous beams with flexible boundary constraints. App Math
drillstring in the ultra-deep well with spatial curved beam finite element. J Pet Sci
Model 2020;83:754–76.
Eng 2012;82–83:166–73.
[34] Chen D, Rezaei S, Rosendahl PL, Xu BX, Schneider J. Multiscale modelling of
[9] Zhai Z, Cai C, Zhu S. Implementation of Timoshenko curved beam into train-track-
functionally graded porous beams: buckling and vibration analyses. Eng Struct
bridge dynamics modelling. Int J Mech Sci 2023:108158.
2022;266:114568.
[10] Hosseini S, Hashemian A, Reali A. On the application of curve reparameterization
[35] Shen H. Functionally graded materials: nonlinear analysis of plates and shells.
in isogeometric vibration analysis of free-from curved beams. Comput Struct 2018;
Florida: CRC Press; 2009.
209:117–29.
[36] Wattanasakulpong N, Ungbhakorn V. Linear and nonlinear vibration analysis of
[11] Yang Z, Chen X, He Y, He Z, Zhang J. The analysis of curved beam using B-spline
elastically restrained ends FGM beams with porosities. Aerosp Sci Technol 2014;32
wavelet on interval finite element method. Shock Vib 2014;2014(1):1–9.
(1):111–20.
[12] Chen CN. DQEM analysis of in-plane vibration of curved beam structures. Adv Eng
[37] Kang B, Riedel C. Coupling of in-plane flexural, tangential and shear wave modes
Softw 2005;36(6):412–24.
of a curved beam. J Vib Acoustics-Trans asme 2012;134:1–13.
[13] K-Bariki S, Jafari-T R, Attar M, Eyvazian A. Free vibration analysis of composite
[38] Kim J, Lee J, Yoon H. On the effect of shear coefficients in free vibration analysis of
curved beams with stepped cross-section. Structures 2021;33:4828–42.
curved beams. J Mech Sci Technol 2014;28(8):3181–7.
[14] Tang Z, Zhang W, Yu J, Posposil S. Prediction of the elastoplastic in-plane buckling
[39] Su Z, Jin GY, Ye TG. Vibration analysis and transient response of a functionally
of parabolic steel arch bridges. J Constr Steel Res 2020;168:105988.
graded piezoelectric curved beam with general boundary conditions. Smart Mater
[15] Eroglu U, Ruta G, Tufekci E. Vibration of locally cracked pre-loaded parabolic
Struct 2016;25(6):065003.
arches. J Sound Vib 2022;536:117097.
[40] Dupire G, Boufflet JP, Dambrine M, Villon P. On the necessity of Nitsche term. Appl
[16] Yang F, Sedaghati R, Esmailzadeh E. Free in-plane vibration of general curved
Numer Math 2010;60(9):888–902.
beams using finite element method. J Sound Vib 2008;318(4):850–67.
[41] Qu Y, Chen Y, Long X, Hua H, Meng G. Free and forced vibration analysis of
[17] Jočković M, Radenković G, N-Danilović M, Baitsch M. Free vibration analysis of
uniform and stepped circular cylindrical shells using a domain decomposition
spatial Bernoulli–Euler and Rayleigh curved beams using isogeometric approach.
method. Appl Acoustics 2013;74(3):425–39.
Appl Mathematical Modell 2019;71:152–72.
[42] Ebrahimi F, Dabbagh A. Mechanics of nanocomposites: homogenization and
[18] Su J, Qu Y, Zhang K, Zhang Q, Tian Y. Vibration analysis of functionally graded
analysis. 1st ed. CRC Press; 2020.
porous piezoelectric deep curved beams resting on discrete elastic supports. Thin-
[43] Huynh T, Luu A, Lee J. Bending, buckling and free vibration analyses of
Walled Struct 2021;164:107838.
functionally graded curved beams with variable curvatures using isogeometric
[19] Doroushi A, Eslami M, Komeili A. Vibration analysis and transient response of an
approach. Meccanica 2017;52(11–12):2527–46.
FGPM beam under thermo-electro-mechanical loads using higher-order shear
[44] Lee S, Lim T, Kim J. Temperature-dependent shear correction factor with heat
deformation theory. J Intell Mater Syst Struct 2011;22(3):231–43.
transfer based on micromechanical properties for FGM plates. Thin-Walled Struct
[20] Sharma P. Efficacy of harmonic differential quadrature method to vibration
2022;181:110095.
analysis of FGPM beam. Compos Struct 2018;189:107–16.
[45] Eroglu U. In-plane free vibrations of circular beams made of functionally graded
[21] Ebrahimi F, Barati MR. Vibration analysis of piezoelectrically actuated curved
material in thermal environment: Beam theory approach. Compos Struct 2015;122:
nanosize FG beams via a nonlocal strain-electric field gradient theory. Mech Adv
217–28.
Mater Struct 2018;25(4):335–50.
[46] Zhao J, Wang Q, Deng X, Choe K, Xie F, Shuai C. A modified series solution for free
[22] Ebrahimi F, Barati MR. Magneto-electro-elastic buckling analysis of nonlocal
vibration analyses of moderately thick functionally graded porous (FGP) deep
curved nanobeams. European Physical Journal plus 2016;131(9):346.
curved and straight beams. Compos B Eng 2019;165:155–66.
[23] Bi HH, Wang B, Deng ZC, Wang SD. Effects of thermo-magneto-electro nonlinearity
characteristics on the stability of functionally graded piezoelectric beam. Appl
Math Mech-English Ed 2020;41(2):313–26.

10