A New Trigonometric Higher-Order Shear and Normal Deformation Theory for Functionally Graded Plates

In the present study, a new trigonometric higher-order shear and normal deformation theory is proposed and implemented to investigate the free vibration characteristics of functionally graded material (FGM) plates. The present theory comprises the nonlinear variation in the in-plane and transverse displacement and accommodates, both shear deformation and thickness stretching effects. It also satisfies the stress-free boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without requiring any shear correction factor. The governing equations are derived using the variational principle. The effective mechanical properties of FGM plates are assumed to vary according to a power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Poisson’s ratios of FGM plates are assumed constant. The numerical solution has been obtained using an efficient displacement based C⁰ finite element model with eight degrees of freedom per node. The computed results are compared with 3-dimensional and quasi-3-dimensional solutions and those projected by other well-known plate theories. Natural frequencies of the functionally graded plates with various side-to-thickness ratios, boundary conditions, and volume fraction index ‘n’ have been computed. It can be concluded that the proposed model is not only accurate but also simple in predicting the vibration behavior of functionally graded plates.