A refined higher-order shear deformation theory for bending, vibration and buckling analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates

A refined higher-order shear deformation theory for bending, vibration and buckling analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates is presented in this paper. It contains only four unknowns, accounts for a hyperbolic distribution of transverse shear stress and satisfies the traction free boundary conditions. Equations of motion are derived from Hamilton's principle. The Navier-type and finite element solutions are derived for plate with simply-supported and various boundary conditions, respectively. Numerical examples are presented for functionally graded sandwich plates with homogeneous hardcore and softcore to verify the validity of the developed theory. It is observed that the present theory with four unknowns predicts the response accurately and efficiently.