Torsion of functionally graded isotropic linearly elastic bars

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of material inhomogeneity on the torsional response of linearly elastic isotropic bars. The work is motivated by the recent research activity on functionally graded materials (FGMs), i.e. materials with spatially varying properties tailored to satisfy particular engineering applications. The classic approach to the torsion problem for a homogenous isotropic bar of arbitrary simply-connected cross-section in terms of the Prandtl stress function is generalized to the inhomogeneous case. The special case of a circular rod with shear modulus depending on the radial coordinate only is examined. It is shown that the maximum shear stress does not, in general, occur on the boundary of the rod, in contrast to the situation for the homogeneous problem. It is shown that the material inhomogeneity may increase or decrease the torsional rigidity compared to that for the homogeneous rod. Optimal upper and lower bounds for the torsional rigidity for nonhomogeneous bars of arbitrary cross-section are established. A new formulation of the basic boundary-value problem is given. The results are illustrated using specific material models used in the literature on functionally graded elastic materials.