A double receding contact axisymmetric problem between a functionally graded layer and a homogeneous substrate

In this paper, the axisymmetric problem of a frictionless double receding contact between a rigid stamp of axisymmetric profile, an elastic functionally graded layer and a homogeneous half space is considered. The graded layer is modelled as a nonhomogeneous medium with an isotropic stress-strain law. Assuming the double contact between the bodies to be frictionless, only compressive normal tractions can be transmitted in each contact area while the rest of the surface is free of tractions. Using an appropriate integral transform, the axisymmetric elasticity equations are converted analytically into a system of singular integral equations where the unknowns are the pressures and the radii of the receding contact area in the two contact zones. The global equilibrium conditions are supplemented to solve the problem. The singular integral equations are solved numerically using orthogonal Chebyshev polynomials. An iterative scheme based on the Newton-Raphson method is employed to obtain the receding contact radii and pressures that satisfy the equilibrium conditions. The main objectives of the paper are to study the effect of the nonhomogeneity parameter, the thickness of the graded layer and the magnitude of the applied load on the contact pressures, the radii of the receding contact zones and the indentation for the case of a spherical rigid punch.     

Finite element analysis of thermoelastic contact problem in functionally graded axisymmetric brake disks

An analysis of thermoelastic contact problem of functionally graded (FG) rotating brake disk with heat source due to contact friction is presented. Finite element method (FEM) is used. The material properties of disk are assumed to be represented by power-law distributions in the radial direction. The inner and outer surfaces considered are metal and ceramic, respectively. Pure material is considered for the brake pad. Coulomb contact friction is assumed as the heat source. It is divided into two equal parts between pad and brake disk which leads to thermal stresses. Mechanical response of FG disks are compared and verified with the known results from the literatures. The results show that the maximum value of radial displacement in mounted FG brake disk is not at outer surface. It is found that the all areas between pad and brake disk is in full-contact status when the ratio of pad thickness to brake disk thickness is 0.66. It is observed that the total strain due to thermomechanical load is negative for some parts of the disks, whereas, the thermal strains are always positive. It can be concluded that gradation index of the metal-ceramic has significant effect in the thermomechanical response of FG disks.     

Analysis of a mode III crack problem in a functionally graded coating-substrate system with finite thickness

This paper presents an analysis of the static problem of model III crack of a functionally graded coating-substrate system with an internal crack perpendicular to the interface under antiplane shear loading when the coating layer and substrate have finite thickness. After the Fourier transform method is employed, the expressions of the displacement components can be obtained. Integral transforms are employed to reduce the problem to a singular integral equation that can be solved numerically. The influences of the nonhomogeneity constant, relative crack length and thickness ratio are quantitatively studied.     

Crack in a bonded functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic strip

Investigated is the anti-plane problem of functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic strip sandwiched between two functionally graded strips. It is assumed that the material properties vary exponentially with the coordinate parallel to the crack. The crack is assumed to be either magneto-electrically impermeable or permeable. Fourier transforms are used to reduce the crack problems to a system of singular integral equations, which is solved numerically by application of the Gauss–Chebyshev integration formula. Numerical results show the effects of the material gradient parameter and crack configuration on the field intensity factors of the crack.     

A moving interface crack between two dissimilar functionally graded strips under plane deformation with integral equation methods

In this paper a finite interface crack with constant length (Yoffe-type crack) propagating along the interface between two dissimilar functionally graded strips with spatially varying elastic properties under in-plane loading is studied. By utilizing the Fourier transformation technique, the mixed boundary problem is reduced to a system of singular integral equations that are solved numerically. The influences of the geometric parameters, the graded parameter, the strip thickness and crack speed on the stress intensity factors and the probable kink angle are investigated. The numerical results show that the graded parameters, the thicknesses of the functionally graded strips and the crack speed have significant effects on the dynamic fracture behavior of functionally graded material structures.     

Antiplane crack analysis of a functionally graded material by a BIEM

Elastostatic analysis of an antiplane crack in a functionally graded material (FGM) is performed by using a hypersingular boundary integral equation method (BIEM). An exponential law is applied to describe the spatial variation of the shear modulus of the FGM. A Galerkin method is applied for the numerical solution of the hypersingular traction BIE. Both unidirectional and bidirectional material gradations are investigated. Stress intensity factors for an infinite and linear elastic FGM containing a finite crack subjected to an antiplane crack-face loading are presented and discussed. The influences of the material gradients and the crack orientation on the stress intensity factors are analyzed.     

Anti-plane problem of periodic interface cracks in a functionally graded coating-substrate structure

In this paper, the interface cracking between a functionally graded material (FGM) and an elastic substrate is analyzed under antiplane shear loads. Two crack configurations are considered, namely a FGM bonded to an elastic substrate containing a single crack and a periodic array of interface cracks, respectively. Standard integral-transform techniques are employed to reduce the single crack problem to the solution of an integral equation with a Cauchy-type singular kernel. However, for the periodic cracks problem, application of finite Fourier transform techniques reduces the solution of the mixed-boundary value problem for a typical strip to triple series equations, then to a singular integral equation with a Hilbert-type singular kernel. The resulting singular integral equation is solved numerically. The results for the cases of single crack and periodic cracks are presented and compared. Effects of crack spacing, material properties and FGM nonhomogeneity on stress intensity factors are investigated in detail.     

The effects of functionally graded material structure on wear resistance and toughness of repaired weldments

To perform a long lasting, crack-free repair welding on ultrahigh strength steels, the filler metal must be chosen and applied properly. Avoiding several short-term repairs or replacements, the repaired weldment should reveal comparative characteristics such as wear resistance, toughness and hardness to base metal. In the present study, a novel functionally graded material have been introduced to obtain enhanced wear resistance and hardness at surface as well as improved fracture toughness at fusion line of repaired weldments. A comparative study of wear resistance of repaired weld metals has been carried out by pin-on-disk apparatus at 5 N normal load and 0.14 ms⁻¹ sliding speed. Fracture toughness of weld metal was also evaluated by charpy absorbed fracture energy tests and scanning electron microscopy fractograghs. The results show that by employing functionally graded layers, toughness was enhanced significantly while retaining the surface wear resistance.     

Crack problem for a functionally graded layer on an elastic foundation

In this paper internal and edge crack problems for an FGM layer attached to an elastic foundation are considered. This model can be used to simulate circumferential crack problem for a thin walled cylinder. It is assumed that the mechanical properties of the layer are varying in thickness direction. Crack is assumed to be perpendicular to the surfaces. For this geometry stress intensity factors are calculated for a number of different crack surface tractions. By using the calculated stress intensity factors and the principle of superposition it is possible to obtain solutions for physically meaningful cases such as fixed grip constant strain loading, membrane loading and bending. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Generalized thermoelastic waves in functionally graded plates without energy dissipation

In this paper, a dynamic solution of the propagating thermoelastic waves in functionally graded material (FGM) plate subjected to stress-free, isothermal boundary conditions is presented in the context of the Green–Naghdi (GN) generalized thermoelastic theory. The FGM plate is composed of two orthotropic materials. The materials properties are assumed to vary in the direction of the thickness according to a known variation law. The coupled wave equation and heat conduction equation are solved by the Legendre orthogonal polynomial series expansion approach. The convergency of the method is discussed through a numerical example. The dispersion curves of the inhomogeneous thermoelastic plate and the corresponding pure elastic plate are compared to show the characteristics of thermal modes and the influence of the thermoelasticity on elastic modes. The displacement, temperature and stress distributions of elastic modes and thermal modes are shown to discuss their differences. A plate with a different gradient variation is calculated to illustrate the influence of the gradient field on the wave characteristics.     

Stress intensity factors of two diametrically opposed edge cracks in a thick-walled functionally graded material cylinder

A method is developed to evaluate stress intensity factors for two diametrically-opposed edge cracks emanating from the inner surface of a thick-walled functionally graded material (FGM) cylinder. The crack and the cylinder inner surfaces are subjected to an internal pressure. The thermal eigenstrain induced in the cylinder material due to nonuniform coefficient of thermal expansion after cooling from the sintering temperature is taken into account. First, the FGM cylinder is homogenized by simulating its nonhomogeneous material properties by an equivalent eigenstrain, whereby the problem is reduced to the solution of a cracked homogenized cylinder with an induced thermal and an equivalent eigenstrains and under an internal pressure. Then, representing the cracks by a continuous distribution of edge dislocations and using their complex potential functions, generalized formulations are developed to calculate stress intensity factors for the cracks in the homogenized cylinder. The stress intensity factors calculated for the cracks in homogenized cylinder represents the stress intensity factors for the same cracks in the FGM cylinder. The application of the formulations are demonstrated for a thick-walled TiC/Al₂O₃ FGM cylinder and some numerical results of stress intensity factors are presented for different profiles of material distribution in the FGM cylinder.     

Stress analysis and material tailoring in isotropic linear thermoelastic incompressible functionally graded rotating disks of variable thickness

We analyze axisymmetric deformations of a rotating disk with its thickness, mass density, thermal expansion coefficient and shear modulus varying in the radial direction. The disk is made of a rubberlike material that is modeled as isotropic, linear thermoelastic and incompressible. We note that the hydrostatic pressure in the constitutive relation of the material is to be determined as a part of the solution of the problem since it cannot be determined from the strain field. The problem is analyzed by using an Airy stress function φ. The non-homogeneous ordinary differential equation with variable coefficients for φ is solved either analytically or numerically by the differential quadrature method. We have also analyzed the challenging problem of tailoring the variation of either the shear modulus or the thermal expansion coefficient in the radial direction so that a linear combination of the hoop stress and the radial stress is constant in the disk. For a rotating annular disk we present the explicit expression of the thermal expansion coefficient for the hoop stress to be uniform within the disk. For a rotating solid disk we give the exact expressions for the shear modulus and the thermal expansion coefficient as functions of the radial coordinate so as to achieve constant hoop stress. Numerical results for a few typical problems are presented to illuminate effects of material inhomogeneities on deformations of a hollow and a solid rotating disk.     

Buckling of a functionally graded coating with an embedded crack bonded to a homogeneous substrate

In an attempt to simulate buckling of nonuniform coatings, we consider the problem of an embedded crack in a functionally graded coating bonded to a homogeneous substrate subjected to a compressive loading. The coating is graded in the thickness direction and the material gradient is orthogonal to the crack direction which is parallel with the free surface. The loading consists of a uniform compressive strain applied away from the crack region. The graded coating is modeled as a nonhomogeneous medium with an isotropic stress-strain law. Using a nonlinear continuum theory and a suitable perturbation technique, the plane strain problem is reduced to an eigenvalue problem describing the onset of buckling. Using integral transforms, the resulting plane elasticity equations are converted analytically into singular integral equations which are solved numerically to give the critical buckling strain and the corresponding crack opening displacement shapes. The main objective of the paper is to study the influence of material nonhomogeneity on the buckling resistance of the graded layer for various crack positions and coating thicknesses.     

Guided thermoelastic waves in functionally graded plates with two relaxation times

Functionally graded material (FGM) is a promising heat insulation material. Wave propagation in FGM structures has received much attention for the purpose of non-destructive testing and evaluation. Few literatures dealt with the thermoelastic wave in FGM structures although the thermal effect would cause attenuations of elastic waves. In this paper, guided thermoelastic waves in FGM plates subjected to stress-free, isothermal boundary conditions are investigated in the context of the Green–Lindsay (GL) generalized thermoelastic theories (with two relaxation times). Coupled wave equations and heat conduction equation are solved by the Legendre polynomial approach. Dispersion curves for a pure elastic graded plate are calculated to make a comparison with the published data. For the thermoelastic graded plate, dispersion curves of thermal modes and elastic modes are illustrated simultaneously. Attenuation curves for graded plates with different relaxation times are compared. The influences of different material gradient shapes are discussed. Two homogeneous thermoelastic plates with different volume fractions are obtained to show their differences from graded plates. Finally, thermoelastic wave dispersion curves for a homogeneous plate and a graded plate are calculated in the context of the classical coupled thermoelastic theory (CT) to show its differences and similarities to the generalized theory.     

Local BIEM for transient heat conduction analysis in 3-D axisymmetric functionally graded solids

An advanced computational method for transient heat conduction analysis in 3-D axisymmetric continuously nonhomogeneous functionally graded materials (FGM) is proposed. The analysed domain is covered by small circular subdomains. On each subdomain local boundary integral equations for the transient heat conduction problem are derived in the Laplace transform domain. The meshless approximation based on the moving least-squares method is employed for the numerical implementation. The Stehfest algorithm is applied for the numerical Laplace inversion to obtain the temporal variation. Numerical results are presented for finite full and hollow cylinders with an exponential variation of material parameters with spatial coordinates. The authors acknowledge the support by the Slovak Science and Technology Assistance Agency registered under number APVT-51-003702, and the Project for Bilateral Cooperation in Science and Technology supported jointly by the International Bureau of the German BMBF and the Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic under the project number SVK 01/020.     

Effect of anisotropy on steady state creep in functionally graded cylinder

The steady state creep in transversely isotropic functionally graded cylinder, operating under internal and external pressures, has been investigated. The cylinder is composed of functionally graded material (FGM) containing silicon carbide whiskers in a matrix of 6061Al. The creep behavior of the FGM has been described by a threshold stress based creep law. The effect of anisotropy on creep stresses and creep rates in the FGM cylinder has been analysed and compared with an isotropic FGM cylinder. The anisotropy is represented by a parameter α, defined as the ratio of radial (or axial) and tangential yield strength. The study reveals that in an anisotropic FGM cylinder i.e. when α deviates from unity, radial and tangential stresses are marginally affected whereas axial and effective stresses are significantly affected as compared to those in an isotropic FGM cylinder. The strain rates as well as inhomogeneity in strain rates in the FGM cylinder decrease significantly when α reduces from 1.3 to 0.7. The magnitude of stresses, strain rates and inhomogenity in strain rates in the FGM cylinder, subjected to internal pressure alone, could be significantly reduced by subjecting it to both internal and external pressures though the stress inhomogenity in the FGM cylinder increases.     

用共沉降法制备组分连续变化的梯度材料

从最简单的沉降过程-单一粒径粉末的沉降开始，描述了颗粒沉降的特点，并简述了用共沉降法制备梯度材料的基本原理，着重阐述了用共沉降法制备梯度材料的基本工艺过程，介绍了用共沉降法制备梯度材料的现状和使具有不同烧结性能的组元同是致密化这一目前仍需解决的关键问题。     

Theoretical analysis of a functionally graded shape memory alloy plate under graded temperature loading

As a new kind of functional material, functionally graded shape memory alloy (FG-SMA) possesses the excellent properties of both shape memory alloy (SMA) and functionally graded material (FGM). By combining the heat conduction theory with the theory of the mechanics of composite materials, a macro constitutive model, which can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of FG-SMA under graded temperature loading, is established. With this macro constitutive model, the thermo-mechanical properties of an FG-SMA plate, which is composed by ceramic and SMA and subjected to different surface temperature loads, are investigated. The theoretical results show good agreement with the existing data, which indicates that the macro constitutive model provided here is valid. The obtained results show that the martensite transformation does not always happen first at the top or bottom of the plate, and it is dependent on the surface temperatures. It can also be found that the stress decreases markedly due to the martensite transformation. This research can provide a basis for the design and in-depth investigation of FG-SMA material.     

Cracks and re-entrant corners in functionally graded materials

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are special composites in which the volume fractions of constituent materials vary gradually, giving continuously graded mechanical properties. The aim of this paper is the evaluation of the strength of structures composed by FGMs incorporating re-entrant corners - tending to the more common crack for vanishing corner angle. The end result is useful in engineering applications predicting the strength of the element corresponding to the unstable brittle crack propagation in such innovative materials. To show the general validity of the method, heterogeneous plates under tension and beam under bending containing re-entrant corners and by varying corner angle, depth and grading of the FGM are considered. Ad hoc performed numerical finite element simulations, by using the FRANC2D code, agree with the theoretical predictions.