A study on the structural behaviour of FGM plates static and free vibrations analyses

Functionally graded materials are characterised by a determined spatial composition variation of their phases' constituents, which enable for a closer suitability of the material properties to the desired mechanical behaviour. Concerning to the engineered construction of these materials, they can be thought as being achieved by considering a continuous variation of their phases and thus of their properties, or by considering a discrete stacking of a sufficient number of layers, in order to ensure a less abrupt variation profile of their properties. Also, depending on the nature of the applications, it may be important to consider a sandwich configuration, where the three-layered constitution may correspond to a functional requisite. With the present work, these two situations will be studied, considering different methodologies based either on a meshless method or on different approaches based on the finite element method. A comparative study of the performance and adequacy of the developed models is carried out through a set of illustrative cases focused on the study of static and free vibrations behaviour of plate structures. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.