• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.85-104
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• 2013

The present work deals with the thermomechanical bending response of functionally graded plates resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations. Theoretical formulations are based on a recently developed refined trigonometric shear deformation theory (RTSDT). The theory accounts for trigonometric distribution of transverse shear stress, and satisfies the free transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional trigonometric shear deformation theory, the present refined trigonometric shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns as against five in case of other shear deformation theories. The material properties of the functionally graded plates are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness, according to a simple power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. The elastic foundation is modelled as two-parameter Pasternak foundation. The results of the shear deformation theories are compared together. Numerical examples cover the effects of the gradient index, plate aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio and elastic foundation parameters on the thermomechanical behavior of functionally graded plates. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and efficient in predicting the thermomechanical bending response of functionally graded plates.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.449-463
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• 2011

A free vibration analysis is made of a moderately-thick toroidal shell based on a shear deformation (Timoshenko-Mindlin) shell theory. This work represents an extension of earlier work by the authors which was based on a thin (Kirchoff-Love) shell theory. The analysis uses a modal approach in the circumferential direction, and numerical results are found using the differential quadrature method (DQM). The analysis is first developed for a shell of revolution of arbitrary meridian, and then specialized to a complete circular toroidal shell. A second analysis, based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, is presented to cover thick shells. The shear deformation theory is validated by comparing calculated results with previously published results for fifteen cases, found using thin shell theory, moderately-thick shell theory, and the theory of elasticity. Consistent agreement is observed in the comparison of different results. New frequency results are then given for moderately-thick and thick toroidal shells, considered to be completely free. The results indicate the usefulness of the shear deformation theory in determining natural frequencies for toroidal shells.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.507-519
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• 2014

In this paper, a higher order shear deformation beam theory is developed for static and free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams. The theory account for higher-order variation of transverse shear strain through the depth of the beam and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the surfaces of the beam without using shear correction factors. The material properties of the functionally graded beam are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Based on the present higher-order shear deformation beam theory, the equations of motion are derived from Hamilton's principle. Navier type solution method was used to obtain frequencies. Different higher order shear deformation theories and classical beam theories were used in the analysis. A static and free vibration frequency is given for different material properties. The accuracy of the present solutions is verified by comparing the obtained results with the existing solutions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2007

In the present study, a spline finite strip with higher-order shear deformation is formulated for the stability and free vibration analysis of composite plates. The analysis is conducted based on Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory, Touratier's "Sine" model, Afaq's exponential model and Cho's higher-order zigzag laminate theory. Consequently, the shear correction coefficients are not required in the analysis, and an improved accuracy for thick laminates is achieved. The numerical results, based on different shear deformation theories, are presented in comparison with the three-dimensional elasticity solutions. The effects of length-to-thickness ratio, fibre orientation, and boundary conditions on the critical buckling loads and natural frequencies are investigated through numerical examples.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.717-726
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• 2017

In this paper, a new simple shear deformation theory for bending analysis of functionally graded plates is developed. The present theory involves only three unknown and three governing equation as in the classical plate theory, but it is capable of accurately capturing shear deformation effects, instead of five as in the well-known first shear deformation theory and higher-order shear deformation theory. A shear correction factor is, therefore, not required. The material properties of the functionally graded plates are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness, according to a simple power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Equations of motion are obtained by utilizing the principle of virtual displacements and solved via Navier's procedure. The elastic foundation is modeled as two parameter elastic foundation. The results are verified with the known results in the literature. The influences played by transversal shear deformation, plate aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio, elastic foundation, and volume fraction distributions are studied. Verification studies show that the proposed theory is not only accurate and simple in solving the bending behaviour of functionally graded plates, but also comparable with the other higher-order shear deformation theories which contain more number of unknowns.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.547-567
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• 2013

Nonlinear behavior of functionally graded material (FGM) plates under thermal loads is investigated here using an efficient sinusoidal shear deformation theory. The displacement field is chosen based on assumptions that the in-plane and transverse displacements consist of bending and shear components, and the shear components of in-plane displacements give rise to the sinusoidal distribution of transverse shear stress through the thickness in such a way that shear stresses vanish on the plate surfaces. Therefore, there is no need to use shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional sinusoidal shear deformation theory, the proposed efficient sinusoidal shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns. The material is graded in the thickness direction and a simple power law based on the rule of mixture is used to estimate the effective material properties. The neutral surface position for such FGM plates is determined and the sinusoidal shear deformation theory based on exact neutral surface position is employed here. There is no stretching-bending coupling effect in the neutral surface-based formulation, and consequently, the governing equations and boundary conditions of functionally graded plates based on neutral surface have the simple forms as those of isotropic plates. The non-linear strain-displacement relations are also taken into consideration. The thermal loads are assumed as uniform, linear and non-linear temperature rises across the thickness direction. Closed-form solutions are presented to calculate the critical buckling temperature, which are useful for engineers in design. Numerical results are presented for the present efficient sinusoidal shear deformation theory, demonstrating its importance and accuracy in comparison to other theories.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.5
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• pp.653-673
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• 2019

This work investigates a novel quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory is presented to discuss the buckling of new type of sandwich plates. This theory accounts for both shear deformation and thickness stretching effects by a hyperbolic variation of all displacements through the thickness. The enhancement of this formulation is due to the use of only five unknowns by including undetermined integral terms, contrary to other theories where we find six or more unknowns. It does not require shear correction factors and transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness. A new type of FGM sandwich plates, namely, both FGM face sheets and FGM hard core are considered. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived using the principle of virtual displacements. Analytical solutions are obtained for a simply supported plate. The accuracy of the present theory is verified by comparing the obtained results with quasi-3D solutions and those predicted by higher-order shear deformation theories. The comparison studies show that the obtained results are not only more accurate than those obtained by higher-order shear deformation theories, but also comparable with those predicted by quasi-3D theories with a greater number of unknowns.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.531-546
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• 2009

In the present analysis, the spline finite strip with higher-order shear deformation is formulated for the static analysis of piezoelectric composite plates. The proposed method incorporates Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory, Touratier's "Sine" model, Afaq's exponential model, Cho's higher-order zigzag laminate theory, as well as the classic plate theory and the first-order plate theory. Thus, the analysis can be conducted based on any of the above-mentioned theories. The selection of a specific method is done by simply changing a few terms in a 2 by 2 square matrix and the results, obtained according to different plate theories, can be compared to each other. Numerical examples are presented for piezoelectric composite plates subjected to mechanical loading. The results based on different shear deformation theories are compared with the three-dimensional solutions. The behaviours of piezoelectric composite plates with different length-to-thickness ratios, fibre orientations, and boundary conditions are also investigated in these examples.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.281-302
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• 2023

In this paper, bending analysis of exponentially varying functionally graded (FG) plate is presented using trigonometric shear deformation theory (TSDT) considering both transverse shear and normal deformation effects. The in-plane displacement field consists of sinusoidal functions in thickness direction to include transverse shear strains and transverse displacement include the effect of transverse normal strain using the cosine function in thickness coordinate. The governing equations and boundary conditions of the theory are derived using the virtual work principle. System of governing equations, for simply supported conditions, Navier's solution technique is used to obtain results. Plate material properties vary across thickness direction according to exponential distribution law. In the current theory, transverse shear stresses are distributed accurately through the plate thickness, hence obviates the need for a shear correction factor. TSDT results are compared with those from other theories to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the present theory. The current theory is in excellent agreement with the semi-analytical theory.

• International Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2016

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are becoming very popular in various industries due to their effectiveness of the utilization of their constituent elements. However, the modelling of these materials is difficult due to the complex nature of variation of material properties across the thickness. Many shear deformation theories have been developed and employed for the analysis of such functionally graded plates (FGPs). A recently developed inverse hyperbolic shear deformation theory has been successfully employed by Grover et al. [1] for the analysis of laminated composites and sandwich plates. The objective of the study is to obtain finite element solution for the structural analysis of functionally graded plates using inverse hyperbolic shear deformation theory. Finite element analysis facilitates the analysis of complex problems such as functionally graded plates with different boundary conditions and different loadings.