Optimum Material Gradient for Functionally Graded Rectangular Plate with the Finite Element Method

Abstract

The optimum material gradient of a rectangular plate made of functionally graded material (FGM) is determined in this study. Elastic modulus of functionally graded (FG) rectangular plate is assumed to vary continuously throughout the height of the plate, according to the volume fraction of the constituent materials based on the power law, exponential model I, exponential model П, or sigmoid functions. The difference between these distribution functions for the constituents’ volume fraction is discussed in this study. To determine the optimum material gradient of a rectangular plate made of FGM, the finite element method and the optimization techniques are used. In this study, von Mises stress, shear stress, and deformation in FGM case with the power law, exponential model I, exponential model П, or sigmoid functions are investigated. Simulation results indicate that the optimum material gradient for FG rectangular plate can be described by using a modified sigmoid function. The maximum values of von Mises stress, shear stress, and deformation in FG rectangular plate with the optimum material gradient are reduced compared with the pure material case by around 22%, 11%, and 24%, respectively.