Appl. Math. Mech. -Engl. Ed.

, 32(7), 925–942 (2011)

DOI 10.1007/s10483-011-1470-9
Applied Mathematics
Shanghai
c University and Springer-Verlag
and Mechanics
Berlin Heidelberg 2011 (English Edition)

Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates using

four-variable refined plate theory∗

L. HADJI1,2 , H. A. ATMANE1,3 , A. TOUNSI1 ,

I. MECHAB1 , E. A. ADDA BEDIA1
(1. Laboratoire des Matériaux et Hydrologie, Université de Sidi Bel Abbes,
Sidi Bel Abbes 22000, Algérie;
2. Département de Génie Civil, Université Ibn Khaldoun, Tiaret 14000, Algérie;
3. Département de Génie Civil, Faculté des Sciences de l’Ingénieur,
Univesité Hassiba Benbouali de Chlef, Chlef 02000, Algérie)

(Communicated by Ling-hui HE)

Abstract This paper uses the four-variable refined plate theory (RPT) for the free
vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich rectangular plates.
Unlike other theories, there are only four unknown functions involved, as compared to
five in other shear deformation theories. The theory presented is variationally consistent
and strongly similar to the classical plate theory in many aspects. It does not require
the shear correction factor, and gives rise to the transverse shear stress variation so
that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness to satisfy free
surface conditions for the shear stress. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates are
considered, namely, the sandwich with the FGM facesheet and the homogeneous core
and the sandwich with the homogeneous facesheet and the FGM core. The equation of
motion for the FGM sandwich plates is obtained based on Hamilton’s principle. The
closed form solutions are obtained by using the Navier technique. The fundamental
frequencies are found by solving the eigenvalue problems. The validity of the theory is
shown by comparing the present results with those of the classical, the first-order, and
the other higher-order theories. The proposed theory is accurate and simple in solving
the free vibration behavior of the FGM sandwich plates.
Key words functionally graded material (FGM), free vibration, sandwich plate, refined
plate theory (RPT), Navier solution
Chinese Library Classification O354.1
2010 Mathematics Subject Classification 76G25

1 Introduction
The sandwich construction has been developed and utilized for almost 50 years because of its
outstanding bending rigidity, low specific weight, superior isolating qualities, excellent vibration
∗ Received Oct. 18, 2010 / Revised Apr. 11, 2011
Corresponding author A. TOUNSI, Professor, E-mail: tou abdel@yahoo.com
926 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

characteristics, and good anti fatigue properties. The sandwich composite construction offers
great potential for large civil infrastructure projects, such as industrial buildings and vehicular
bridges. The sandwich structure represents a special form of a layered structure that consists of
two thin stiff and strong face sheets separated and a relatively thick, lightweight, and compliant
core material. In modern sandwich structures, the faces are usually made of metal or laminated
composite materials, and typically a compliant compressible core is made of a low-strength
honeycomb type material or polymeric foam. The faces and the core are joined by adhesive
bonding, which ensures the load transfer between the sandwich constituent parts.
By the mid-1960s, the sandwich construction has been widely studied. For an extensive
review of literature for the analysis of the sandwich structures, the reader may consult [1–5]. The
methods of analyzing sandwich structures and numerical solutions for the standard problems
are well documented in the books of Plantema[1] and Allen[2] . The structural analyses of
constant-thickness sandwich composite structures are discussed in books of Whitney[3] and
Vinson[5] , where they emphasized the importance of including the shear flexibility of the core.
Pagano[6] and Pagano and Hatfield[7] presented the exact 3D elasticity solutions for the stress
analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates which serve as the benchmark solutions
for comparison by many researchers.
Moreover, the functionally graded materials (FGMs)[8–9] , a new generation of advanced
inhomogeneous composite materials first proposed for thermal barriers[10], have been increas-
ingly applied for modern engineering structures in the extremely high temperature environment.
Many studies were conducted concerning the thermal mechanical behavior of FGMs[11–12] . In
the simplest FGMs, two different material ingredients change gradually from one to the other.
Discontinuous changes, such as a stepwise gradation of the material ingredients, can also be
considered as an FGM. The most familiar FGM is compositionally graded from a refractory
ceramic to a metal. Typically, FGMs are made from a mixture of ceramic and metal or a
combination of different materials. The ceramic in an FGM offers thermal barrier effects and
protects the metal from corrosion and oxidation, and the FGM is toughened and strengthened
by the metallic composition. FGMs are now developed for general use as structural elements
in extremely high temperature environments and different applications.
Because of the wide application of FGMs, many studies have been performed to analyze
the behavior and understand the mechanics and mechanism of FGM structures. Extensive
studies have been carried out both theoretically and experimentally on fracture mechanics[13–14] ,
thermal stress distribution[15–17] , processing[18–19] and so on. Among these FGM structures, the
plates and shells are still the interests for researchers because of their applications. Approaches,
such as using the shear deformation plate theory, the energy method, and the finite-element
method, have been carried out. Reddy[20] presented the solutions of the static behavior for the
FGM rectangular plates based on his third-order shear deformation plate theory. Cheng and
Batra[21] presented the results for the buckling and steady state vibrations of a simply supported
FGM polygonal plate based on Reddy’s plate theory. Loy et al.[22] presented the Rayleigh-Ritz
solutions for free vibration of simply supported cylindrical shells made of an FGM compound of
stainless steel and nickel by using Love’s shell theory. Praveen and Reddy[23] investigated the
nonlinear static and dynamic response of functionally graded ceramic-metal plates using a plate
finite element that accounts for the transverse shear strains, rotary inertia, and moderately large
rotations in the von Karman sense.
The FGM sandwich can alleviate the large interfacial shear stress concentration because of
the gradual variation of material properties at the facesheet-core interface. The effects of the
FGM core were studied by Venkataraman and Sankar[24] and Anderson[25] on the shear stresses
at the facesheet-core of the FGM sandwich beam. Pan and Han[26] analyzed the static response
of the multilayered rectangular plate made of the functionally graded, anisotropic, and linear
magneto-electro-elastic materials. Das et al.[27] studied a sandwich composed of a single FGM
softcore with relatively orthotropic stiff facesheets by using a triangular plate element. Shen[28]
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 927

considered two types of FGM hybrid laminated plates, one is with the FGM core and the
piezoelectric ceramic facesheet, and the other is with the FGM facesheet and the piezoelectric
ceramic core.
The FGM sandwich construction exists in two types: the FGM facesheet-homogeneous core
and the homogeneous facesheet-FGM core. For the case of the homogeneous core, the softcore
is commonly employed because of the light weight and high bending stiffness in the structural
design. The homogeneous hardcore is also employed in other fields, such as control or thermal
environments. The actuators and sensors which are common piezoelectric ceramics are always
in the midlayers of the sandwich construction (see [28]). Moreover, in the thermal environments,
the metal-rich facesheet can reduce the large tensile stress on the surface at the early stage of
cooling[29] .
In general, the plates made of FGMs are not materially symmetric about the midplane for
the special material properties distribution. Their stretching and flexural deformation modes
are coupled. Recently, Li et al.[30] presented a three-dimensional solution for free vibration
of multi-layer FGM system-symmetric and unsymmetric FGM sandwich plates using the Ritz
method.
As far as we know, there has been no investigation on free vibration of the FGM sand-
wich plates using the four-variable refined plate theory (RPT). This theory was developed by
Shimpi[31] for isotropic plates and extended by Shimpi and Patel[32–33] for orthotropic plates.
This theory which looks like a higher-order theory uses only two unknown functions in order
to derive two governing equations for orthotropic plates. The most interesting feature of this
theory is that it does not require the shear correction factor, and has strong similarities with the
classical plate theory (CPT) in some aspects, such as governing equation, boundary conditions,
and moment expressions. Lee et al.[34] proposed a higher-order shear deformable theory using
the similar approach of representing transverse displacement using two components. Recently,
Mechab et al.[35] developed the two variable RPT for FGM plates. The accuracy of this theory
has been demonstrated for static bending of FGM plates by Mechab et al.[35] . Therefore, it
seems to be important to extend this theory to the free vibration behaviors of FGM sandwich
plates. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates, namely, the sandwich with the FGM
facesheet and the homogeneous core and the sandwich with the homogeneous facesheet and
the FGM core, are considered. The present theory satisfies equilibrium conditions at the top
and bottom faces of the sandwich plate without using shear correction factors. The Navier
solution is used to obtain the closed form solutions for simply supported FGM sandwich plates.
To illustrate the accuracy of the present theory, the obtained results are compared with three-
dimensional elasticity solutions and the results of the first-order and the other higher-order
theories.

2 RPT for FGM sandwich plates

2.1 Geometrical configuration

Consider the case of a rectangular FGM sandwich plate with the uniform thickness composed
of three microscopically heterogeneous layers referring to rectangular coordinates (x, y, z) as
shown in Fig. 1. The top and bottom faces of the plate are at z = ±h/2, and the edges of the
plate are parallel to axes x and y.
The sandwich plate is composed of three elastic layers, namely, Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer 3
from bottom to top of the plate. The vertical ordinates of the bottom, the two interfaces, and
the top are denoted by h1 = −h/2, h2 , h3 , and h4 = h/2, respectively. For brevity, the ratio of
the thickness of each layer from bottom to top is denoted by the combination of three numbers,
i.e., “1-0-1”, “2-1-2” and so on. As shown in Fig. 2, Types A and B are considered in the present
study, i.e., the FGM facesheet and the homogeneous core and the homogeneous facesheet and
the FGM core.
928 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

Fig. 1 Geometry of the rectangular FGM sandwich plate with uniform thickness in rectangular Carte-
sian coordinates

Fig. 2 Material variation along thickness of FGM sandwich plate

2.2 Material properties

The properties of FGM vary continuously due to the gradually changing volume fraction
of the constituent materials (ceramic and metal), usually in the thickness direction only. The
power-law function is commonly used to describe these variations of materials properties. The
sandwich structures made of two types of power-law FGMs mentioned before are discussed as
follows.
2.2.1 Type A: power-law FGM facesheet and homogeneous core
The volume fraction of the FGMs is assumed to obey a power-law function along the thick-
ness direction
 z − h k
1
V (1) = , z ∈ [h1 , h2 ], (1a)
h2 − h1

V (2) = 1, z ∈ [h2 , h3 ], (1b)

 z − h k
4
V (3) = , z ∈ [h3 , h4 ], (1c)
h3 − h4
where V (n) (n = 1, 2, 3) denotes the volume fraction function of Layer n, and k is the vol-
ume fraction index (0  k  +∞), which dictates the material variation profile through the
thickness.
2.2.2 Type B: homogeneous facesheet and power-law FGM core
The volume fraction of the FGMs is assumed to obey a power-law function along the thick-
ness direction
V (1) = 0, z ∈ [h1 , h2 ], (2a)
 z − h k
2
V (2) = , z ∈ [h2 , h3 ], (2b)
h3 − h2

V (3) = 1, z ∈ [h3 , h4 ], (2c)

 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 929

in which V (n) and k are defined as same as in Eq. (1).

The effective material properties, i.e., Young’s modulus E, Poisson’s ratio ν, and the mass
density ρ, can be expressed by the rule of mixture[14] as

P (n) (z) = P2 + (P1 − P2 )V (n) , (3)

where P (n) is the effective material property of the FGM of Layer n. For Type A, P1 and P2 are
the properties of the top and bottom faces of Layer 1, respectively, and vice versa for Layer 3
depending on the volume fraction V (n) (n = 1, 2, 3). For Type B, P1 and P2 are the properties
of Layer 3 and Layer 1, respectively.
These two types of FGM sandwich plates will be discussed later in the following sections.
For simplicity, Poisson’s ratio of the plate is assumed to be constant in this study as the effect
of Poisson’s ratio on the deformation is much less than that of Young’s modulus[36] .
2.3 Basic assumptions
Assumptions of the present RPT are as follows:
(i) The displacements are small in comparison with the plate thickness. Therefore, the
strains involved are infinitesimal.
(ii) The transverse displacement W includes two components: bending displacement wb and
shear displacement ws . These components are the functions of coordinates x, y, and time t
only.

W (x, y, z, t) = wb (x, y, t) + ws (x, y, t). (4)

(iii) The transverse normal stress σz is negligible in comparison with the in-plane stresses
σx and σy .
(iv) The displacements U in the x-direction and V in the y-direction consist of extension,
bending, and shear components.

U = u + ub + us , V = v + vb + vs . (5)

The bending components ub and vb are assumed to be similar to the displacements given by
the classical plate theory. Therefore, the expression for ub and vb can be given as
∂wb ∂wb
ub = −z , vb = −z . (6a)
∂x ∂y
The shear components us and vs give rise, in conjunction with ws , to the parabolic variations
of shear strains γxz , γyz and hence to shear stresses τxz , τyz through the thickness of the plate
in such a way that shear stresses τxz , τyz are zero at the top and bottom faces of the plate.
Consequently, the expression for us and vs can be given as
1 5  z 2  ∂ws 1 5  z 2  ∂ws
us = z− z , vs = z− z . (6b)
4 3 h ∂x 4 3 h ∂y
2.4 Kinematics and constitutive equations
Based on the assumptions made in the preceding section, the displacement field can be
obtained using Eqs. (4)–(6) as
⎧  1 5  z 2  ∂w
⎪ ∂wb s
⎪
⎪ U (x, y, z) = u(x, y) − z + z − ,
⎪
⎪ ∂x 4 3 h ∂x
⎨
∂wb  1 5  z 2  ∂w
s (7)
⎪
⎪ V (x, y, z) = v(x, y) − z + z − ,
⎪
⎪ ∂y 4 3 h ∂y
⎪
⎩
W (x, y, z) = wb (x, y) + ws (x, y).
930 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

The strains associated with the displacements in Eq. (7) are

⎧
⎪
⎪ εx = ε0x + zkxb + f kxs ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ εy = ε0y + zkyb + f kys ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎨ γxy = γxy0 b
+ zkxy + f kxys
,
(8)
⎪
⎪ s
γyz = gγyz ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ s
⎪
⎪ γxz = gγxz ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩
εz = 0,

where
⎧
⎪
⎪ ∂u ∂ 2 wb ∂ 2 ws
⎪
⎪ ε0x = , kxb = − , kxs = − ,
⎪
⎪ ∂x ∂x 2 ∂x2
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ ∂v ∂ 2 wb ∂ 2 ws
⎪
⎪ 0 b s
⎪
⎪ ε y = , k y = − , ky = − ,
⎪
⎪ ∂y ∂y 2 ∂y 2
⎪
⎨
0 ∂u ∂v b ∂ 2 wb s ∂ 2 ws (9)
⎪ γxy = + , kxy = −2 , kxy = −2 ,
⎪
⎪ ∂y ∂x ∂x∂y ∂x∂y
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ ∂ws ∂ws
⎪
⎪ s
γyz , γxzs
,
⎪
⎪
=
∂y
=
∂x
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪  2  2
⎪
⎩ f = −1z + 5z z , g = 5 − 5 z .
⎪
4 3 h 4 h

For elastic and isotropic FGMs, the constitutive relations can be written as
⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤
σx Q11 Q12 0 εx
⎣ σy ⎦ = ⎣ Q12 τyz Q44 0 γyz
Q22 0 ⎦ ⎣ εy ⎦ , = , (10)
τzx 0 Q55 l γzx
τxy 0 0 Q66 γxy

where (σx , σy , τxy , τyz , τzx ) and (εx , εy , γxy , γyz , γzx ) are the stress and strain components,
respectively. Using the material properties defined in Eq. (3), stiffness coefficients Qij , can be
expressed as

E(z)
Q11 = Q22 = , (11a)
1 − ν2
νE(z)
Q12 = , (11b)
1 − ν2
E(z)
Q44 = Q55 = Q66 = . (11c)
2 (1 + ν)

2.5 Governing equations

The strain energy of the plate can be written as

1
Ue = (σx εx + σy εy + τxy γxy + τyz γyz + τzx γzx )dV. (12)
2 V
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 931

By substituting Eqs. (8) and (10) into Eq. (12) and integrating through the thickness of the
sandwich plate, the strain energy of the plate can be rewritten as


1 
Ue = Nx ε0x + Ny ε0y + Nxy ε0xy + Mxb kxb + Myb kyb + Mxy
b b
kxy + Mxs kxs
2 A

+Mys kys + Mxy
s s
kxy s
+ Syz s
γyz s
+ Sxz s
γxz dxdy, (13)

where the stress resultants N , M , and S are defined by

⎧
⎪ 3  hn+1
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ (N x , N y , N xy ) = (σx , σy , τxy ) dz,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ n=1 hn
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ 3  hn+1
⎪
⎪  b  
⎪
⎪ b
Mx , My , Mxy = b
(σx , σy , τxy ) zdz,
⎪
⎪
⎨ hn
n=1
(14)
⎪
⎪ 3  hn+1
⎪
⎪   
⎪ Mxs , Mys , Mxy
⎪ s
= (σx , σy , τxy ) f dz,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ n=1 hn
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ 3  hn+1
⎪
⎪  s  
⎪
⎪ S , S s
= (τxz , τyz ) gdz.
⎩ xz yz
n=1 hn

Substituting Eq. (10) into Eq. (14) and integrating through the thickness of the plate, the stress
resultants are given as

⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤
N A B Bs ε s s
⎣ Mb ⎦ = ⎣ B Syz As44 0 γyz
D Ds ⎦ ⎣ kb ⎦ , = , (15)
s
Sxz 0 As55 s
γxz
Ms Bs Ds Hs ks

where

T  b T
  s T

N = (Nx , Ny , Nxy ) , M b = Mxb , Myb , Mxy , M s = Mxs , Mys , Mxy , (16a)
     
ε = ε0x , ε0y , γxy
0
, k b = kxb , kyb , kxy
b
, k s = kxs , kys , kxy
s
, (16b)
⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤
A11 A12 0 B11 B12 0 D11 D12 0
A = ⎣ A12 A22 0 ⎦ , B = ⎣ B12 B22 0 ⎦ , D = ⎣ D12 D22 0 ⎦ , (16c)
0 0 A66 0 0 B66 0 0 D66
⎡ s s
⎤ ⎡s s
⎤ s
⎡ s
⎤
B11 B12 0 D11 D12 0 H11 H12 0
B s = ⎣ B12
s s
B22 0 ⎦, Ds = ⎣ D12
s s
D22 0 ⎦, H s = ⎣ H12
s s
H22 0 ⎦, (16d)
s s s
0 0 B66 0 0 D66 0 0 H66
932 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

where

⎧ 3  hn+1
⎪   
⎪
⎪ , B , D , E , F , H 1, z, z 2, z 3 , z 4 , z 6 Qij dz, i, j = 1, 2, 6,
⎪
⎪ (A ij ij ij ij ij ij ) =
⎪
⎪ n=1 hn
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ s
Bij
1 5
= − Bij + 2 Eij , i, j = 1, 2, 6,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ 4 3h
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ 1 5
⎪
⎪ Ds = − Dij + 2 Fij , i, j = 1, 2, 6,
⎪
⎨ ij 4 3h
(17)
⎪
⎪ 1 5 25
⎪
⎪ s
⎪ Hij = 16 Dij − 6h2 Fij + 9h4 Hij , i, j = 1, 2, 6,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ 3  hn+1
⎪
⎪  2 4
⎪
⎪ (Aij , Dij , Fij ) = 1, z , z Qij dz, i, j = 4, 5,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ n=1 hn
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ As = 25 A − 25 D + 25 F , i, j = 4, 5.
ij ij ij ij
16 6h2 h4

The kinetic energy of the plate can be written as


1
T = ρ(Ü 2 + V̈ 2 + Ẅ 2 )dV
2 V

1 2
= I0 (ü2 + v̈ 2 + (ẅb + ẅs ) )dxdy
2 A
  
1 ∂ ẅb 2  ∂ ẅb 2  I2  ∂ ẅs 2  ∂ ẅs 2 
+ I2 + + + dxdy, (18)
2 A ∂x ∂y 84 ∂x ∂y

where ρ is the mass of density of the FG plate, and Ii (i = 0,2) are the inertias defined by

3 
 hn+1
(I0 , I2 ) = (1, z 2 )ρdz. (19)
n=1 hn

Hamilton’s principle[36] is used to derive the equations of motion appropriate to the displacement
field and the constitutive equation. The principle can be stated in an analytical form as

 t
0= δ(Ue − T )dt, (20)
0

where δ indicates a variation with respect to x and y.

By substituting Eqs. (13) and (18) into Eq. (20) and integrating the equation by parts and
collecting the coefficients of δu, δv, δwb , and δws , the equations of motion for the FG sandwich
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 933

plate are obtained as follows:

⎧
⎪ ∂Nx ∂Nxy
⎪
⎪ δu : + = I0 ü,
⎪
⎪ ∂x ∂y
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ ∂Nxy ∂Ny
⎪
⎪ δv : + = I0 v̈,
⎪
⎨ ∂x ∂y
 ∂ 2 ẅ (21)
⎪
⎪
⎪ ∂ 2 Mxb ∂ 2 Mxyb
∂ 2 Myb b ∂ 2 ẅb 
⎪
⎪ δwb : + 2 + = I 0 (ẅb + ẅs ) − I2 + ,
⎪
⎪ ∂x2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x2 ∂y 2
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ ∂ 2 Mxs ∂ 2Mxys
∂ 2 Mys ∂Sxz s s
∂Syz I2  ∂ 2 ẅs ∂ 2 ẅs 
⎩ δws : +2 + + + = I0 (ẅb + ẅs ) − + .
∂x 2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x ∂y 84 ∂x2 ∂y 2

Equation (21) can be expressed in terms of displacements (u, v, wb , ws ) by substituting the stress
resultants from Eq. (15). For FG plates, the equilibrium equations (21) take the forms

∂2u ∂2u ∂2v ∂ 3 wb ∂ 3 wb

A11 + A66 + (A12 + A66 ) − B11 − (B12 + 2B66 )
∂x2 ∂y 2 ∂x∂y ∂x3 ∂x∂y 2
s ∂ 3 ws s s ∂ 3 ws
− B11 3
− (B12 + 2B66 ) = I0 ü, (22a)
∂x ∂x∂y 2

∂2u ∂2v ∂2v ∂ 3 wb ∂ 3 wb

(A12 + A66 ) + A66 2 + A22 2 − (B12 + 2B66 ) 2 − B22
∂x∂y ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂y 3
s ∂ 3 ws s s ∂ 3 ws
− B22 − (B12 + 2B66 ) = I0 v̈, (22b)
∂y 3 ∂x2 ∂y

∂3u ∂3u ∂3v ∂3v ∂ 4 wb

B11 3
+ (B12 + 2B66 ) 2
+ (B12 + 2B66 ) 2 + B22 3 − D11
∂x ∂x∂y ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x4
∂ 4 wb ∂ 4 wb 4
s ∂ ws s s ∂ 4 ws
− 2 (D12 + 2D66 ) − D 22 − D 11 − 2 (D 12 + 2D 66 )
∂x2 ∂y 2 ∂y 4 ∂x4 ∂x2 ∂y 2
s ∂ 4 ws
− D22 = I0 (ẅb + ẅs ) − I2 ∇2 ẅb , (22c)
∂y 4

s ∂3u s s ∂3u s s ∂3v 3

s ∂ v
4
s ∂ wb
B11 3
+ (B12 + 2B66 ) 2
+ (B12 + 2B66 ) 2 + B22 3
− D11
∂x ∂x∂y ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x4
s s ∂ 4 wb 4
s ∂ wb
4
s ∂ ws s s ∂ 4 ws
− 2 (D12 + 2D66 ) − D 22 − H 11 − 2 (H 12 + 2H 66 )
∂x2 ∂y 2 ∂y 4 ∂x4 ∂x2 ∂y 2
s ∂ 4 ws 2
s ∂ ws
2
s ∂ ws I2
− H22 + A55 + A44 = I0 (ẅb + ẅs ) − ∇2 ẅb . (22d)
∂y 4 ∂x2 ∂y 2 84

2.6 Navier solution for simply supported rectangular sandwich plates

Rectangular sandwich plates are generally classified in accordance with the used type sup-
port. We are here concerned with the analytical solutions of Eq. (22) for the simply supported
934 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

FG sandwich plate. The following boundary conditions are imposed at the side edges.

 a   a   a  ∂w  a  ∂w  a 
b s
v − , y = wb − , y = ws − , y = − ,y = − , y = 0, (23a)
2 2 2 ∂y 2 ∂y 2

a  a   a  ∂w  a  ∂w  a 
b s
v , y = wb , y = ws , y = ,y = , y = 0, (23b)
2 2 2 ∂y 2 ∂y 2

 a   a   a  a  a  a 
Nx − , y = Mxb − , y = Mxs − , y = Nx , y = Mxb , y = Mxs , y = 0, (23c)
2 2 2 2 2 2

 b  b  b  ∂wb  b  ∂ws  b
u x, − = wb x, − = ws x, − = x, − = x, − = 0, (23d)
2 2 2 ∂x 2 ∂x 2

 b  b  b  ∂w  b  ∂w  b 
b s
u x, = wb x, = ws x, = x, = x, = 0, (23e)
2 2 2 ∂x 2 ∂x 2

 b  b  b  b  b  b
Ny x, − = Myb x, − = Mys x, − = Ny x, = Myb x, = Mys x, = 0. (23f)
2 2 2 2 2 2

The displacement functions that satisfy the equations of boundary conditions (23) are selected
as the following Fourier series:

⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤
u Umn cos(λx) sin(μy)eiωt
∞  ∞ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ v ⎥  ⎢ Vmn sin(λx) cos(μy)eiωt ⎥
⎢ ⎥= ⎢ ⎥, (24)
⎣ wb ⎦ ⎣ Wbmn sin(λx) sin(μy)eiωt ⎦
m=1 n=1
ws Wsmn sin(λx) sin(μy)eiωt

where Umn , Vmn , Wbmn , and Wsmn are arbitrary parameters to be determined, ω is the eigen-
frequency associated with the (m,n)th eigenmode, and λ = mπ/a and μ = nπ/b.
Substituting Eqs. (17), (19) and (24) into the equations of motion (22), we get the below
eigenvalue equations for any fixed values of m and n for the free vibration problem

 
K − ω 2 M Δ = 0, (25)

where Δ denotes the column

ΔT = (Umn , Vmn , Wbmn , Wsmn ), (26)

and
⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤
a11 a12 a13 a14 m11 0 0 0
⎢ a12 a22 a23 a24 ⎥ ⎢ 0 m22 0 0 ⎥
K=⎢
⎣ a13
⎥, M =⎢ ⎥, (27)
a23 a33 a34 ⎦ ⎣ 0 0 m33 m34 ⎦
a14 a24 a34 a44 0 0 m34 m44
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 935

in which
⎧
⎪
⎪ a11 = A11 λ2 + A66 μ2 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ a12 = λμ (A12 + A66 ) ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ a13 = −λ(B11 λ2 + (B12 + 2B66 )μ2 ),
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ s
⎪
⎪ a14 = −λ(B11 λ2 + (B12s
+ 2B66s
)μ2 ),
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ a22 = A66 λ2 + A22 μ2 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ a23 = −μ((B12 + 2B66 )λ2 + B22 μ2 ),
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎨ s s
a24 = −μ((B12 + 2B66 )λ2 + B22 s
μ2 ),
(28)
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ a33 = D11 λ4 + 2(D12 + 2D66 )λ2 μ2 + D22 μ4 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ s
a34 = D11 λ4 + 2(D12 s
+ 2D66s
)λ2 μ2 + D22s
μ4 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ s 4
a44 = H11 λ + 2(H12 s s
)λ2 μ2 + H22s 4
μ + As55 λ2 + As44 μ2 ,
⎪
⎪
+ 2H66
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ m11 = m22 = m34 = I0 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪  
⎪
⎪
⎪ m33 = I0 + I2 λ2 + μ2 ,
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎩ m44 = I0 + I2 λ2 + μ2  .
⎪
84

2.7 Ritz solution of vibration problem of rectangular sandwich plates with various
boundary conditions
The Ritz method is a variational approach and requires the expansion of the unknown func-
tions of displacement components in an infinite series form. By taking a sufficient number of
terms in these series, it is possible to approach the exact solution of the problem considered.
However, the displacement functions should be complete in the space of functions, and inappro-
priate choices of the unknown functions can cause a very slow converging rate and numerical
instabilities. The functions chosen by the researchers are trigonometric functions[38] , algebraic
polynomials[39–41] , and orthogonal polynomials[42–43] employed on the basis of different plate
theories. After defining the nondimensional coordinates as ξ = 2x/a and η = 2y/b choosing
the origin of the coordinates as −1  ξ  1 and −1  η  1, we assume the displacement com-
ponents as following simple algebraic polynomials which are the power functions of coordinate
parameters in the expansion of double infinite series:

I−1 J−1
 
u(ξ, η, t) = Aij Xi (ξ)Yj (η) sin(ωt), (29a)
i=0 j=0

 L−1
K−1 
v(ξ, η, t) = Bkl Xk (ξ)Yl (η) sin(ωt), (29b)
k=0 l=0

M−1
N −1

wb (ξ, η, t) = Cmn Xm (ξ)Yn (η) sin(ωt), (29c)
m=0 n=0

P
 −1 Q−1

ws (ξ, η, t) = Dpq Xp (ξ)Yq (η) sin(ωt), (29d)
p=0 q=0
936 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

where the polynomials are defined as

B1 B3
Xf (ξ) = ξ f (ξ + 1) (ξ − 1) , f = i, k, m, p, (30a)

Yg (ξ) = η g (η + 1)B2 (η − 1)B4 , g = j, l, n, q, (30b)

and Aij , Bkl , Cmn and Dpq are unknown constant coefficients. Here, Bi can take the values
which are chosen according to the type of boundary conditions imposed at the edges of the
plate as the i subindices of Bi denote the numbers of the subsequent edges of the plate in the
counterclockwise direction. The edge numbered as 1 is the one at ξ = −1. The values of Bi that
are 0, 1 and 2 correspond to the free, simply supported, and clamped edges, respectively[44] .
By keeping in mind that the Ritz method satisfies only the geometric boundary conditions, it
is possible to satisfy any set of geometric edge boundary conditions. For the Ritz method, the
natural boundary conditions for clamped plates are required.
The boundary conditions of a plate (of length a and width b) are given as follows:
Clamped-clamped boundaries
∂wb ∂ws
u = v = wb = ws = = =0 at ξ = ±1, (31a)
∂η ∂η
∂wb ∂ws
u = v = wb = ws = = =0 at η = ±1. (31b)
∂ξ ∂ξ
Free-free boundaries (no constraints)
∂wb ∂ws
u = 0, v = 0, wb = 0, ws = 0, = 0, = 0 at ξ = ±1, (31c)
∂η ∂η
∂wb ∂ws
u = 0, v = 0, wb = 0, ws = 0, = 0, = 0 at η = ±1. (31d)
∂ξ ∂ξ
Inserting the displacement forms (Eq. (29)) into the kinetic and strain energy definitions
(Eqs. (12) and (18)) and minimizing the Lagrangian of the system with respect to the coeffi-
cients of the displacement functions for the vibration problem yield the algebraic simultaneous
equations with the same number of unknown coefficients given in Eq. (29). The number of these
equations becomes 5M 2 if the same number of terms, say M , is employed in all of the series
for convenience. The algebraic equations obtained will be given in the form of the generalized
eigenvalue problem (Eq. (25)). For a non-trivial solution, the eigenvalues (ω), which make the
determinant to be equal to zero, correspond to the free vibration frequencies.

3 Numerical results and discussion

In this study, the free vibration analysis of simply supported FG sandwich plates by the
present RPT is suggested for investigation. Navier solutions for the free vibration analysis of
FG sandwich plates are presented by solving the eigenvalue equations.
The FG plate is taken to be made of aluminum and alumina with the following material
properties:
Ceramic (P1 , alumina, Al2 O3 ) Ec = 380 GPa, ν = 0.3, and ρc = 3 800 kg/m3 .
Metal (P2 , aluminium, Al) Em = 70 GPa, ν = 0.3, and ρm = 2 707 kg/m3 .
For simplicity, the nondimensional natural frequency parameter is defined as

ωb2 ρ0
= , (32)
h E0

where ρ0 = 1 kg/m3 , and E0 = 1 GPa.

 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 937

Various numerical examples are described and discussed for verifying the accuracy of RPT
in predicting the free vibration behaviors of simply supported FG sandwich plates. For the
verification purpose, the results obtained by the present RPT are compared with other the-
ories existing in the literature, such as the classical plate theory (CPT), the first-order shear
deformation plate theory (FSDPT), the third-order shear deformation plate theory (TSDPT),
and the sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory (SSDPT). We also take the shear correction
factor K = 5/6 in FSDPT.
The results of the power-law FGM sandwich plates of Type A with six material distributions
are compared in Table 1 with the results of CPT, FSDPT, TSDPT, SSDPT, and the three-
dimensional linear theory of elasticity[30] . Young’s modulus E and the mass density ρ are based
on the power-law distribution Eq. (3). Table 1 shows a good agreement by the comparisons of
FGM plates of five different volume fraction indices k = 0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 with other theories. In
general, the vibration frequencies obtained by CPT are much higher than those computed from
the shear deformation theories. This implies the well-known fact that the results estimated by
CPT are grossly in error for a thick plate.
Comparisons are given in Tables 2 and 3 on the basis of the homogeneous hardcore and
homogeneous softcore types of FG sandwich plates (Type A). Table 2 considers the case of ho-
mogeneous hardcore in which Young’s modulus and the mass density of layer 1 are Ec = 380 GPa
and ρc = 3 800 kg/m3 (P1 , alumina) at the top face and Em = 70 GPa and ρm = 2 707 kg/m3

Table 1 Comparisons of the natural fundamental frequency parameter  of simply supported square
power-law FGM plates of Type A with other theories (h/b = 0.1)

k Theory
1-0-1 2-1-2 2-1-1 1-1-1 2-2-1 1-2-1
CPT 1.873 59 1.873 59 1.873 59 1.873 59 1.873 59 1.873 59
FSDPT 1.824 42 1.824 42 1.824 42 1.824 42 1.824 42 1.824 42
TSDPT 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45
0
SSDPT 1.824 52 1.824 52 1.824 52 1.824 52 1.824 52 1.824 52
Elasticity[30] – – – – – –
Present 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45
CPT 1.471 57 1.512 42 1.542 64 1.549 03 1.583 74 1.607 22
FSDPT 1.441 68 1.481 59 1.510 35 1.516 95 1.550 01 1.572 74
TSDPT 1.444 24 1.484 08 1.512 53 1.519 22 1.551 99 1.574 51
0.5
SSDPT 1.444 36 1.484 18 1.512 58 1.519 27 1.552 02 1.574 50
Elasticity[30] 1.446 14 1.486 08 1.508 41 1.521 31 1.549 26 1.576 68
Present 1.444 24 1.484 08 1.506 35 1.519 21 1.547 10 1.574 51
CPT 1.262 38 1.320 23 1.371 50 1.375 21 1.432 47 1.464 97
FSDPT 1.240 31 1.297 29 1.346 37 1.350 72 1.405 55 1.437 22
TSDPT 1.243 20 1.300 11 1.348 88 1.353 33 1.407 89 1.439 34
1
SSDPT 1.243 35 1.300 23 1.348 94 1.353 39 1.407 92 1.439 31
Elasticity[30] 1.244 70 1.301 81 1.335 11 1.355 23 1.397 63 1.441 37
Present 1.243 20 1.300 11 1.333 29 1.353 32 1.395 57 1.439 33
CPT 0.958 44 0.991 90 1.087 97 1.055 65 1.161 95 1.188 67
FSDPT 0.942 56 0.978 70 1.071 56 1.041 83 1.144 67 1.171 59
TSDPT 0.945 98 0.981 84 1.074 32 1.044 66 1.147 31 1.173 97
5
SSDPT 0.946 30 0.982 07 1.074 45 1.044 81 1.147 41 1.173 99
Elasticity[30] 0.944 76 0.981 03 1.029 42 1.045 32 1.109 83 1.175 67
Present 0.945 98 0.981 84 1.030 43 1.044 66 1.108 81 1.173 97
CPT 0.943 21 0.952 44 1.051 85 1.005 24 1.118 83 1.136 14
FSDPT 0.925 08 0.939 62 1.035 80 0.992 56 1.102 61 1.120 67
TSDPT 0.928 39 0.942 97 1.038 62 0.995 51 1.105 33 1.123 14
10
SSDPT 0.928 75 0.943 32 1.045 58 0.995 19 1.041 54 1.134 60
Elasticity[30] 0.927 27 0.940 78 0.989 29 0.995 23 1.061 04 1.124 66
Present 0.928 39 0.942 97 0.991 95 0.995 50 1.060 90 1.123 14
938 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

Table 2 Comparison of fundamental frequency parameter  of simply supported square power-law

FGM sandwich plates with homogeneous hardcore

h/b k Theory
1-0-1 2-1-2 1-1-1 2-2-1 1-2-1 1-8-1
Li et al.[30] 1.888 29 1.888 29 1.888 29 1.888 29 1.888 29 1.888 29
0
Present 1.888 25 1.888 25 1.888 25 1.888 25 1.888 25 1.888 25
Li et al.[30] 1.482 44 1.523 55 1.560 46 1.590 31 1.619 15 1.763 57
0.5
Present 1.482 41 1.523 53 1.560 42 1.590 30 1.619 12 1.763 54
Li et al.[30] 1.271 58 1.329 74 1.385 11 1.429 92 1.475 58 1.699 06
0.01 1
Present 1.271 56 1.329 72 1.385 08 1.429 90 1.475 54 1.699 04
Li et al.[30] 0.965 63 0.999 03 1.063 09 1.130 20 1.196 99 1.569 88
5
Present 0.965 64 0.999 03 1.063 09 1.130 19 1.196 97 1.569 85
Li et al.[30] 0.950 42 0.959 34 1.012 37 1.080 65 1.144 08 1.541 64
10
Present 0.950 44 0.959 37 1.012 36 1.080 65 1.144 06 1.541 62

Li et al.[30] 1.826 82 1.826 82 1.826 82 1.826 82 1.826 82 1.826 82

0
Present 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45 1.824 45
Li et al.[30] 1.446 14 1.486 08 1.521 31 1.549 26 1.576 68 1.711 30
0.5
Present 1.444 23 1.484 08 1.519 21 1.547 10 1.574 50 1.709 01
Li et al.[30] 1.244 70 1.301 81 1.355 23 1.397 63 1.441 37 1.651 13
0.1 1
Present 1.243 19 1.300 10 1.353 32 1.395 56 1.439 32 1.648 92
Li et al.[30] 0.944 76 0.981 03 1.045 32 1.109 83 1.175 67 1.529 93
5
Present 0.945 98 0.981 84 1.044 65 1.108 81 1.173 96 1.527 92
Li et al.[30] 0.927 27 0.940 78 0.995 23 1.061 04 1.124 66 1.503 33
10
Present 0.928 38 0.942 96 0.995 50 1.060 90 1.123 13 1.501 38

Li et al.[30] 1.677 11 1.677 11 1.677 11 1.677 11 1.677 11 1.677 11

0
Present 1.670 10 1.670 10 1.670 10 1.670 10 1.670 10 1.670 10
Li et al.[30] 1.353 58 1.390 53 1.421 78 1.445 35 1.469 40 1.581 86
0.5
Present 1.347 43 1.384 10 1.415 08 1.438 43 1.462 51 1.574 76
Li et al.[30] 1.174 85 1.229 15 1.277 70 1.314 34 1.353 41 1.531 42
0.2 1
Present 1.169 76 1.223 40 1.271 34 1.307 53 1.346 71 1.524 45
Li et al.[30] 0.890 86 0.933 62 0.997 98 1.056 07 1.119 00 1.428 45
5
Present 0.894 62 0.935 94 0.995 45 1.052 28 1.113 18 1.421 97
Li et al.[30] 0.868 33 0.892 28 0.949 84 1.009 49 1.072 90 1.405 68
10
Present 0.871 78 0.899 18 0.950 33 1.008 48 1.067 54 1.399 32

(P2 , aluminum) at the bottom face. Table 3 considers the case of homogeneous softcore in which
Young’s modulus and the mass density of Layer 1 are Em = 70 GPa and ρm = 2 707 kg/m3
(P1 , alumina) at the top face and Ec = 380 GPa and ρc = 3 800 kg/m3 (P2 , Aluminium) at
the bottom face. Three thickness-side ratios h/b (0.01, 0.1, and 0.2) and five volume fraction
indices k(0, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10) are considered.
From the results presented in Tables 2 and 3, it can be seen that the fundamental frequencies
of this study show a satisfied agreement with those obtained by Li et al.[30] . Table 4 gives the
results of 1-8-1 power-law FGM plate of Type B. P1 is referred to as the properties of alumina
and P2 the properties of aluminium. In this case, the FGM core is metal-rich at the top face
and ceramic-rich at the bottom face. Three thickness-side ratios h/b (0.01, 0.1, and 0.2) and
five volume fraction indices k (0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10) are considered. Table 4 shows that the
results of Li et al.[30] for FGM sandwich plates with the FGM core are in good agreement with
the present RPT.
From the results presented in Tables 2–4, it is shown that the natural fundamental frequen-
cies decrease with the decrease of the material rigidity, which is due to the increase of k for
Type A or the decrease of k for Type B and the variation of the layer thickness ratios. Moreover,
the thin plates are slightly more sensitive than the thick plate to the material rigidity, i.e., k.
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 939

Table 3 Comparison of fundamental frequency parameter  of simply supported square power-law

FGM sandwich plates with homogeneous softcore

h/b k Theory
1-0-1 2-1-2 1-1-1 2-2-1 1-2-1 1-8-1
Li et al.[30] 0.960 22 0.960 22 0.960 22 0.960 22 0.960 22 0.960 22
0
Present 0.960 20 0.960 20 0.960 20 0.960 20 0.960 20 0.960 20
Li et al.[30] 1.662 81 1.622 91 1.581 71 1.522 77 1.506 58 1.265 57
0.5
Present 1.662 83 1.622 94 1.581 73 1.522 79 1.506 57 1.265 55
Li et al.[30] 1.820 31 1.791 63 1.753 79 1.681 84 1.674 90 1.383 31
0.01 1
Present 1.820 34 1.791 74 1.753 91 1.681 94 1.674 94 1.383 30
Li et al.[30] 1.920 90 1.943 13 1.936 23 1.862 07 1.885 30 1.570 35
5
Present 1.920 89 1.943 32 1.936 58 1.862 39 1.885 58 1.570 34
Li et al.[30] 1.910 64 1.946 87 1.950 44 1.880 42 1.911 62 1.604 57
10
Present 1.910 61 1.947 01 1.950 80 1.880 76 1.911 98 1.604 56
Li et al.[30] 0.928 97 0.928 97 0.928 97 0.928 97 0.928 97 0.928 97
0
Present 0.927 76 0.927 76 0.927 76 0.927 76 0.927 76 0.927 76
Li et al.[30] 1.573 52 1.525 88 1.484 59 1.434 19 1.416 62 1.205 53
0.5
Present 1.574 97 1.528 95 1.486 66 1.436 15 1.416 26 1.204 77
Li et al.[30] 1.722 27 1.674 37 1.630 53 1.570 37 1.557 88 1.308 25
0.1 1
Present 1.725 68 1.683 79 1.639 66 1.578 74 1.561 02 1.307 66
Li et al.[30] 1.841 98 1.826 11 1.789 56 1.727 26 1.726 70 1.466 47
5
Present 1.841 99 1.841 61 1.817 30 1.753 20 1.748 64 1.466 00
Li et al.[30] 1.840 20 1.839 87 1.808 13 1.747 79 1.748 11 1.494 81
10
Present 1.838 57 1.851 96 1.836 65 1.775 27 1.775 84 1.494 39
Li et al.[30] 0.852 86 0.852 86 0.852 86 0.852 86 0.852 86 0.852 86
0
Present 0.849 27 0.849 27 0.849 27 0.849 27 0.849 27 0.849 27
Li et al.[30] 1.378 94 1.320 61 1.280 53 1.245 33 1.225 80 1.070 16
0.5
Present 1.382 25 1.327 72 1.285 21 1.249 99 1.224 81 1.068 52
Li et al.[30] 1.508 96 1.433 25 1.382 42 1.342 03 1.321 29 1.144 51
0.2 1
Present 1.517 15 1.455 15 1.403 11 1.361 64 1.328 28 1.143 53
Li et al.[30] 1.658 68 1.580 11 1.502 84 1.460 09 1.426 65 1.252 10
5
Present 1.658 29 1.617 77 1.566 07 1.520 42 1.474 40 1.251 56
Li et al.[30] 1.672 78 1.609 09 1.526 71 1.483 06 1.441 01 1.270 65
10
Present 1.667 89 1.639 13 1.592 71 1.547 63 1.501 43 1.270 17

Table 4 Comparison of fundamental frequency parameter  of simply supported square power-law

FGM sandwich plates with the FGM core
k
h/b Theory
0.5 1 2 5 10
Li et al.[30] 1.339 31 1.386 69 1.444 91 1.531 43 1.591 05
0.01
Present 1.339 27 1.386 65 1.444 87 1.531 39 1.591 03
Li et al.[30] 1.297 51 1.348 47 1.408 28 1.493 09 1.549 80
0.1
Present 1.294 59 1.345 33 1.405 14 1.490 44 1.547 54
Li et al.[30] 1.195 80 1.253 38 1.315 69 1.395 67 1.445 40
0.2
Present 1.186 82 1.243 52 1.305 76 1.387 36 1.438 37

Figure 3 depicts the fundamental frequency parameters versus the thickness-side ratios of
simply supported power-law FGM sandwich plates with the homogeneous hardcore. Figure 4
depicts the curves of the power-law FGM sandwich plates with the homogeneous softcore. The
results are the maximum for the ceramic plates and the minimum for the metal plates. It is seen
that the results increase smoothly as the amount of ceramic in the sandwich plate increases. It
is also shown that the effect of k on the 1-0-1 sandwich plate without the homogeneous core
layer is greater than that of the 1-8-1 sandwich with the homogeneous hardcore, and the effect
of k on the sandwich with the homogeneous hardcore is greater than that with the homogeneous
940 L. HADJI, H. A. ATMANE, A. TOUNSI, I. MECHAB, and E. A. ADDA BEDIA

softcore.

Fig. 3 Fundamental frequencies  for power-law FGM sandwich plates with homogeneous hardcore

Fig. 4 Fundamental frequencies  for power-law FGM sandwich plates with homogeneous softcore

4 Concluding remarks

A four-variable RPT is developed for the vibration analysis of the rectangular FG sandwich.
The theory takes account of transverse shear effects and parabolic distribution of the transverse
shear strains through the thickness of the FG sandwich plate. Hence it is unnecessary to use
shear correction factors. The power-law FGM sandwich plates with the FGM facesheet and the
homogeneous core and the sandwich plates with the homogeneous facesheet and the FGM core
are considered. The governing equations have strong similarity with the CPT in many aspects.
All comparison studies demonstrate that the present solution is highly efficient for the exact
analysis of the vibration of FG rectangular sandwich plates.
In conclusion, it can be said that the proposed theory RPT is accurate and simple in
solving the free vibration behavior of FG sandwich plates. However, it can be noted that
the improvement of the present theory will be necessary, especially when it is applied to a
laminated structure to satisfy interlayer transverse shear stress continuity. The extension of the
present theory is also envisaged for general boundary conditions.
 Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates 941

References
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and Shells, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1966)
[2] Allen, H. G. Analysis and Design of Structural Sandwich Panels, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1969)
[3] Whitney, J. M. Structural Analysis of Laminated Anisotropic Plates, Technomic, Lancaster (1987)
[4] Zenkert, D. An Introduction to Sandwich Construction, Chameleon Press, London (1995)
[5] Vinson, J. R. The Behavior of Sandwich Structures of Isotropic and Composite Materials, Tech-
nomic, Lancaster (1999)
[6] Pagano, N. J. Exact solutions for rectangular bidirectional composite and sandwich plates. Journal
of Composite Materials, 4(1), 20–34 (1970)
[7] Pagano, N. J. and Hatfield, S. J. Elastic behaviour of multilayered bidirectional composite. AIAA
Journal, 10(12), 931–933 (1972)
[8] Koizumi, M. The concept of FGM. Ceramic Transactions, Functionally Gradient Materials, 34(1),
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