Abstract
Functionally graded material (FGM) designs can outperform structures made of conventional materials due to the improved internal load distribution. However, the actual potency of FGM highly depends on the parametrization of the material distribution. Hence, the determination of the effective grading approaches suitable for different scenarios is highly important. This study compares the in-plane and thickness-wise grading strategies for the design of FGM shells. The considered structures comprise two materials, one that is relatively stiffer-heavier and another being softer-lighter. The proportion of the denser material is constrained not to exceed half of the total volume. The design task concerns maximizing the fundamental frequency as the objective. The analyses were performed for different combinations of shell thickness and boundary conditions. The results show that the effectiveness of the grading type notably depends on the analyzed case. The findings of this study can serve as a guideline for future studies investigating similar problems.
