Size effect on dynamic stability of functionally graded microbeams based on a modified couple stress theory

Dynamic stability of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is investigated in this paper based on the modified couple stress theory and Timoshenko beam theory. This non-classical Timoshenko beam model contains a material length scale parameter and can interpret the size effect. The material properties of FGM microbeams are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and are estimated though Mori–Tanaka homogenization technique. The higher-order governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamilton’s principle. The differential quadrature (DQ) method is employed to convert the governing differential equations into a linear system of Mathieu–Hill equations from which the boundary points on the unstable regions are determined by Bolotin’s method. Free vibration and static buckling are also discussed as subset problems. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influences of the length scale parameter, gradient index and length-to-thickness ratio on the dynamic stability characteristics of FGM microbeams with hinged–hinged and clamped–clamped end supports. Results show that the size effect on the dynamic stability characteristics is significant only when the thickness of beam has a similar value to the material length scale parameter.     

Strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress models for buckling analysis of axially loaded micro-scaled beams

A class of higher-order continuum theories, such as modified couple stress, nonlocal elasticity, micropolar elasticity (Cosserat theory) and strain gradient elasticity has been recently employed to the mechanical modeling of micro- and nano-sized structures. In this article, however, we address stability problem of micro-sized beam based on the strain gradient elasticity and couple stress theories, firstly. Analytical solution of stability problem for axially loaded nano-sized beams based on strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress theories are presented. Bernoulli–Euler beam theory is used for modeling. By using the variational principle, the governing equations for buckling and related boundary conditions are obtained in conjunctions with the strain gradient elasticity. Both end simply supported and cantilever boundary conditions are considered. The size effect on the critical buckling load is investigated.     

Dynamic stability analysis of functionally graded higher-order shear deformable microshells based on the modified couple stress elasticity theory

Size-dependent dynamic stability response of higher-order shear deformable cylindrical microshells made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) and subjected to simply supported end supports is investigated. Material properties of the microshells vary in the thickness direction according to the Mori–Tanaka scheme. The modified couple stress elasticity theory in conjunction with the classical higher-order shear deformation shell theory is utilized to develop non-classical shell model containing additional internal length scale parameter to interpret size effect. The differential equations of motion and boundary conditions are derived by using Hamilton’s principle. The governing equations are then written in the form of Mathieu–Hill equations and then Bolotin’s method is employed to determine the instability regions. Selected numerical results are given to indicate the influences of internal length scale parameter, material property gradient index, static load factor and axial wave number on the dynamic stability behavior of FGM microshells. It is found that the width of the instability region for an FGM microshell increases with the decrease of the value of dimensionless length scale parameter. Moreover, it is shown that the classical shell model has an overestimated prediction for the width of instability region corresponding to the FGM microshells especially with lower values of material property gradient index.     

Parametric instability of functionally graded beams with an open edge crack under axial pulsating excitation

This paper studies the parametric instability of functionally graded beams with an open edge crack subjected to an axial pulsating excitation which is a combination of a static compressive force and a harmonic excitation force. It is assumed that the materials properties follow an exponential variation through the thickness direction. Theoretical formulations are based on Timoshenko beam theory and linear rotational spring model. The governing equations of motion are derived by using Hamilton’s principle and transformed into a set of Mathieu equations through Galerkin’s procedure. The natural frequencies with different end supports are obtained. The boundary points on the unstable regions are determined by using Bolotin’s method. Numerical results are presented to highlight the influences of crack location, crack depth, material property gradient, beam slenderness ratio, compressive load, and boundary conditions on both the free vibration and parametric instability behaviors of the cracked functionally graded beams.     

Effect of three-parameter viscoelastic medium on vibration behavior of temperature-dependent non-homogeneous viscoelastic nanobeams in a hygro-thermal environment

In this article, free vibration of functionally graded (FG) viscoelastic nanobeams resting on viscoelastic foundation subjected to hygrothermal loading is investigated employing a higher order refined beam theory which captures shear deformation influences needless of any shear correction factor. The three-parameter viscoelastic medium consists of parallel springs and dashpots as well as a shear layer. Temperature-dependent material properties of FGM beam are graded across the thickness via the power-law model. Employing non-local elasticity theory of Eringen and Hamilton's principle, non-local governing equations of a size-dependent viscoelastic nanobeam are obtained and solved analytically for various boundary conditions. To verify the reliability of the developed model, the results of the current work are compared with those available in literature. The effects of viscoelastic foundation parameters, internal damping coefficient, hygrothermal loading, non-local parameter, gradient index, mode number, and slenderness ratio on the vibrational characteristics of nanoscale viscoelastic FG beams are explored.     

Postbuckling characteristics of nanobeams based on the surface elasticity theory

In the present paper, an attempt is made to numerically investigate the postbuckling response of nanobeams with the consideration of the surface stress effect. To accomplish this, the Gurtin–Murdoch elasticity theory is exploited to incorporate surface stress effect into the classical Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The size-dependent governing differential equations are derived and discretized along with various end supports by employing the principle of virtual work and the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. Newton’s method is applied to solve the discretized nonlinear equations with the aid of an auxiliary normalizing equation. After solving the governing equations linearly, to obtain each eigenpair in the nonlinear model, the linear response is used as the initial value in Newton’s method. Selected numerical results are given to show the surface stress effect on the postbuckling characteristics of nanobeams. It is found that by increasing the thickness of nanobeams, the postbuckling equilibrium path obtained by the developed non-classical beam model tends to the one predicted by the classical beam theory and this anticipation is the same for all selected boundary conditions.     

Thermoelastic bending analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates

The thermoelastic bending analysis of functionally graded ceramic–metal sandwich plates is studied. The governing equations of equilibrium are solved for a functionally graded sandwich plates under the effect of thermal loads. The sandwich plate faces are assumed to have isotropic, two-constituent material distribution through the thickness, and the modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio of the faces, and thermal expansion coefficients are assumed to vary according to a power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The core layer is still homogeneous and made of an isotropic ceramic material. Several kinds of sandwich plates are used taking into account the symmetry of the plate and the thickness of each layer. Field equations for functionally graded sandwich plates whose deformations are governed by either the shear deformation theories or the classical theory are derived. Displacement functions that identically satisfy boundary conditions are used to reduce the governing equations to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients. The influences played by the transverse normal strain, shear deformation, thermal load, plate aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio, and volume fraction distribution are studied. Numerical results for deflections and stresses of functionally graded metal–ceramic plates are investigated.     

Static and dynamic analysis of micro beams based on strain gradient elasticity theory

The static and dynamic problems of Bernoulli-Euler beams are solved analytically on the basis of strain gradient elasticity theory due to Lam et al. The governing equations of equilibrium and all boundary conditions for static and dynamic analysis are obtained by a combination of the basic equations and a variational statement. Two boundary value problems for cantilever beams are solved and the size effects on the beam bending response and its natural frequencies are assessed for both cases. Two numerical examples of cantilever beams are presented respectively for static and dynamic analysis. It is found that beam deflections decrease and natural frequencies increase remarkably when the thickness of the beam becomes comparable to the material length scale parameter. The size effects are almost diminishing as the thickness of the beam is far greater than the material length scale parameter.     

A size-dependent third-order shear deformable plate model incorporating strain gradient effects for mechanical analysis of functionally graded circular/annular microplates

In this paper, we develop a novel size-dependent plate model for the axisymmetric bending, buckling and free vibration analysis of functionally graded circular/annular microplates based on the strain gradient elasticity theory. The displacement field is chosen by using a refined third-order shear deformation theory which assumes that the in-plane and transverse displacements are partitioned into bending and shear components and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the microplate. Besides, the present model contains three material length scale parameters to capture the size effect. The material properties of the microplate are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and estimated through the classical rule of mixture. By using Hamilton's principle, the equations of motion and boundary conditions are obtained. Afterward, the differential quadrature method is adopted to discretise the governing differential equations along with various types of edge supports and therefore the deflection, critical buckling load and natural frequency can be determined. Convergence and comparison studies are carried out to establish the reliability and accuracy of the numerical results. Finally, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the influences of material length scale parameters, gradient index, thickness-to-outer radius ratio, outer-to-inner radius ratio and boundary conditions on the mechanical characteristics of the microplate.     

Dynamic behaviour of edge-cracked shear deformable functionally graded beams on an elastic foundation under a moving load

This paper studies the dynamic response of functionally graded beams with an open edge crack resting on an elastic foundation subjected to a transverse load moving at a constant speed. It is assumed that the material properties follow an exponential variation through the thickness direction. Theoretical formulations are based on Timoshenko beam theory to account for the transverse shear deformation. The cracked beam is modeled as an assembly of two sub-beams connected through a linear rotational spring. The governing equations of motion are derived by using Hamilton’s principle and transformed into a set of dynamic equations through Galerkin’s procedure. The natural frequencies and dynamic response with different end supports are obtained. Numerical results are presented to investigate the influences of crack location, crack depth, material property gradient, slenderness ratio, foundation stiffness parameters, velocity of the moving load and boundary conditions on both free vibration and dynamic response of cracked functionally graded beams.     

A nonlinear strain gradient beam formulation

In this paper, a nonlinear size-dependent Euler–Bernoulli beam model is developed based on a strain gradient theory, capable of capturing the size effect. Considering the mid-plane stretching as the source of the nonlinearity in the beam behavior, the governing nonlinear partial differential equation of motion and the corresponding classical and non-classical boundary conditions are determined using the variational method. As an example, the free-vibration response of hinged-hinged microbeams is derived analytically using the Method of Multiple Scales. Also, the nonlinear size-dependent static bending of hinged-hinged beams is evaluated numerically. The results of the new model are compared with the results based on the linear strain gradient theory, linear and nonlinear modified couple stress theory, and also the linear and non-linear classical models, noting that the couple stress and the classical theories are indeed special cases of the strain gradient theory.     

Analytical solution for bi-material beam with graded intermediate layer

Using the Airy stress function, an analytical solution is obtained for a bi-material beam with a graded intermediate layer, which is subjected to a uniform load on the upper surface and has different boundary conditions at the two ends. Young’s modulus of the graded intermediate layer is assumed to be an arbitrary function of the thickness coordinate and its Poisson’s ratio is kept a constant. The solution can easily degenerate into the ones of the tri-material beam, the bi-material beam, the homogeneous beam, and the graded beam, and some of them coincide with the available solutions. The analytical and numerical (finite-element-based) results are in agreement with each other for several examples. The influence on the stress distribution for the cantilever beam is discussed when Young’s modulus of the graded intermediate layer takes different functions.     

The size-dependent natural frequency of Bernoulli-Euler micro-beams

The dynamic problems of Bernoulli-Euler beams are solved analytically on the basis of modified couple stress theory. The governing equations of equilibrium, initial conditions and boundary conditions are obtained by a combination of the basic equations of modified couple stress theory and Hamilton’s principle. Two boundary value problems (one for simply supported beam and another for cantilever beam) are solved and the size effect on the beam’s natural frequencies for two kinds of boundary conditions are assessed. It is found that the natural frequencies of the beams predicted by the new model are size-dependent. The difference between the natural frequencies predicted by the newly established model and classical beam model is very significant when the ratio of characteristic sizes to internal material length scale parameter is approximately equal to one, but is diminishing with the increase of the ratio.     

Buckling analysis of functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient theory

The buckling behavior of size-dependent microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) for different boundary conditions is investigated on the basis of Bernoulli–Euler beam and modified strain gradient theory. The higher-order governing differential equation for buckling with all possible classical and non-classical boundary conditions is obtained by a variational statement. The effects of the power of the material property variation function, boundary conditions, slenderness ratio, ratio of additional material length scale parameters for two constituents, beam thickness-to-additional material length scale parameter ratio on the buckling response of FGM microbeams are investigated. Some comparative results are presented in tabular and graphical form in order to show the differences between the results obtained by the present model and those predicted by modified couple stress and classical continuum models.     

Free vibration of Euler and Timoshenko functionally graded beams by Rayleigh–Ritz method

Present investigation is concerned with the free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) beams subjected to different sets of boundary conditions. The analysis is based on the classical and first order shear deformation beam theories. Material properties of the beam vary continuously in the thickness direction according to the power-law exponent form. Trial functions denoting the displacement components of the cross-sections of the beam are expressed in simple algebraic polynomial forms. The governing equations are obtained by means of Rayleigh–Ritz method. The objective is to study the effects of constituent volume fractions, slenderness ratios and the beam theories on the natural frequencies. To validate the present analysis, comparison studies are also carried out with the available results from the existing literature.     

A nonlocal higher-order curved beam finite model including thickness stretching effect for bending analysis of curved nanobeams

In the present work, a finite element approach is developed for the static analysis of curved nanobeams using nonlocal elasticity beam theory based on Eringen formulation coupled with a higher-order shear deformation accounting for through-thickness stretching. The formulation is general in the sense that it can be used to compare the influence of different structural theories, through static and dynamic analyses of curved nanobeams. The governing equations derived here are solved introducing a 3-nodes beam element. The formulation is validated considering problems for which solutions are available. A comparative study is done here by different theories obtained through the formulation. The effects of various structural parameters such as thickness ratio, beam length, rise of the curved beam, loadings, boundary conditions, and nonlocal scale parameter are brought out on the static bending behaviors of curved nanobeams.     

Free vibration analysis of size-dependent functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory

Investigated herein is the free vibration characteristics of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory. The material properties of the functionally graded beams are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to the Mori–Tanaka scheme. Using Hamilton’s principle, the equations of motion together with corresponding boundary conditions are obtained for the free vibration analysis of FGM microbeams including size effect. A detailed parametric study is performed to indicate the influences of beam thickness, dimensionless length scale parameter, and slenderness ratio on the natural frequencies of FGM microbeams. Moreover, a comparison between the various beam models on the basis of the classical theory (CT), modified couple stress theory (MCST), and strain gradient theory (SGT) is presented for different values of material property gradient index. It is observed that the value of gradient index play an important role in the vibrational response of the microbeams of lower slenderness ratios. It is further observed that by increasing the length-to-thickness ratio of the microbeam, the value of dimensionless natural frequency tends to decrease for all amounts of the gradient index.     

Thermal buckling of cross-ply laminated composite beams

Summary Thermal buckling of thick, moderately thick and thin cross-ply laminated beams subjected to uniform temperature distribution are analyzed. Exact analytical solutions of refined beam theories are developed to obtain the critical buckling temperature of cross-ply beams with various boundary conditions. The state space concept in conjunction with Jordan canonical form will be used to solve exactly the governing equations of the thermal buckling problems. The effects of length to thickness ratio, modulus ratio, thermal expansion coefficients ratio, various boundary conditions and number of layers on the critical buckling temperature are investigated.     

Mechanical Behavior of a Functionally Graded Rectangular Plate Under Transverse Load: A Cosserat Elasticity Analysis

In this article, a static analysis of a functionally graded (FG) rectangular plate subjected to a uniformly distributed load is investigated within the framework of Timoshenko and the higher order shear deformation beam theories. The mechanical behavior of the plate is analysed under the theory of Cosserat elasticity. In the framework of infinitesimal theory of elasticity, the bending of the plate is analyzed subjected to transverse loading. A set of governing equations of equilibrium are obtained based on the method of hypothesis. A semianalytical solution is presented for the governing equations using the approximation theory of Timoshenko. The solutions are validated by comparing the numerical results with their counterparts reported in the literature for classical Timoshenko plate theory.     

Dynamics of elastically connected double-functionally graded beam systems with different boundary conditions under action of a moving harmonic load

This paper studies the dynamic responses of an elastically connected double-functionally graded beam system (DFGBS) carrying a moving harmonic load at a constant speed by using Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The two functionally graded (FG) beams are parallel and connected with each other continuously by elastic springs. Six elastically connected double-functionally graded beam systems (DFGBSs) having different boundary conditions are considered. The point constraints in the form of supports are assumed to be linear springs of large stiffness. It is assumed that the material properties follow a power-law variation through the thickness direction of the beams. The equations of motion are derived with the aid of Lagrange’s equations. The unknown functions denoting the transverse deflections of DFGBS are expressed in polynomial form. Newmark method is employed to find the dynamic responses of DFGBS subjected to a concentrated moving harmonic load. The influences of the different material distribution, velocity of the moving harmonic load, forcing frequency, the rigidity of the elastic layer between the FG beams and the boundary conditions on the dynamic responses are discussed.