Green's function approach to three-dimensional heat conduction equation of functionally graded materials

A Green's function approach based on the laminate theory is adopted to solve the three-dimensional heat conduction equation of functionally graded materials (FGMs) with one-directionally dependent properties. An approximate solution for each layer is substituted into the governing equation to yield an eigenvalue problem. The eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem for each layer constitute the Green's function solution for analyzing the three-dimensional transient temperature. The eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions are determined from the homogeneous boundary conditions at outer sides and from the continuous conditions of temperature and heat flux at the interfaces. A three-dimensional transient temperature solution with a source is formulated by the Green's function. Numerical calculations are carried out for an FGM plate, and the numerical results are shown in tables and figures.