Three-dimensional analysis of a thick FGM rectangular plate in thermal environment

Area of Science:

• Solid Mechanics
• Materials Science
• Thermodynamics

Background:

• Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) exhibit spatially varying material properties.
• Understanding the thermal behavior of FGMs is crucial for their application in extreme environments.
• Transversely isotropic FGM rectangular plates are common in structural engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the three-dimensional thermal behavior of thick transversely isotropic FGM rectangular plates.
• To incorporate temperature-dependent material properties into the analysis.
• To develop and validate a solution method for analyzing these complex structures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized three-dimensional elasticity theory.
• Employed state-space formulations combined with a laminate approximate model.
• Validated the proposed method against thin plate theory for thin plate cases.

Main Results:

• Developed a method to analyze the thermal behavior of thick FGMs with temperature-dependent properties.
• Demonstrated the significant influence of material inhomogeneity on thermal response.
• Quantified the impact of temperature-dependent characteristics on the plate's behavior.

Conclusions:

• The proposed state-space formulation effectively analyzes thick FGMs with temperature-dependent properties.
• Material inhomogeneity and temperature significantly affect the thermal performance of FGM plates.
• The study provides a valuable framework for designing and analyzing FGM structures under thermal loads.