Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645

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Composites: Part B
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compositesb

A size-dependent functionally graded Reddy plate model based on a modified

couple stress theory
Huu-Tai Thai, Seung-Eock Kim ⇑
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sejong University, 98 Gunja Dong, Gwangjin Gu, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In this paper, a size-dependent model for bending and free vibration of functionally graded Reddy plate is
Received 19 June 2012 developed. The present model accounts for both small scale and shear deformation effects in functionally
Received in revised form 17 August 2012 graded microplates. The small scale effects are captured using the modified couple stress theory, while
Accepted 10 September 2012
the shear deformation effects are included using the third-order shear deformation theory. The equations
Available online 28 September 2012
of motion and boundary conditions are derived from Hamilton’s principle. Analytical solutions are
obtained for a simply supported plate. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effects of small
Keywords:
scale on the responses of microplates. The results reveal that the inclusion of small scale effects results in
A. Plates
B. Vibration
an increase in plate stiffness, and consequently, leads to a reduction of deflection and an increase in fre-
C. Analytical modeling quency. Such small scale effects are significant when the plate thickness is small, but become negligible
C. Modified couple stress theory with increasing plate thickness.
Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are made from a mixture
of two materials to achieve a composition that provides a certain
functionality. Recently, the application of FGMs has broadly been
spread in micro-and nano-scale devices and systems such as thin
films [1], atomic force microscopes [2], micro-and nano-electro-
mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) [3]. In such applications,
size effects or small scale effects have been experimentally ob-
served [4–7]. Thus, such size effects should be taken into account
when studying their static and dynamic behaviors.
Conventional plate models based on classical continuum theo-
ries cannot capture such size effects due to the lack of a material
length scale parameter. Thus, size-dependent plate models based
on size-dependent continuum theories such as the classical couple
stress theory [8–10], the nonlocal elasticity theory [11], and the
strain gradient theory [7] have been developed. In view of the dif-
ficulties in determining the material length scale parameters, the
modified couple stress theory first proposed by Yang et al. [12]
takes an advantage over the aforementioned size-dependent con-
tinuum theories due to involving only one material length scale
parameter.
Based on the modified couple stress theory, several size-dependent
plate models have been developed. For example, Park and Gao [13]
and Ma et al. [14] developed Euler–Bernoulli and Timoshenko
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 3408 3291; fax: +82 2 3408 3332.
E-mail addresses: taispkt@yahoo.com (H.-T. Thai), sekim@sejong.ac.kr (S.-E.
Kim).
beam models, respectively, for microbeams. These models are used
to analyze the static and dynamic characteristics of microtubules
[15–18] and microtubes conveying fluid [19–21]. Tsiatas [22] first
developed a size-dependent model for static analysis of micro-
plates using the classical plate theory (CPT). This model was used
by Yin et al. [23] and Jomehzadeh et al. [24] to study the vibration
of microplates. Asghari [25] extended the work of Tsiatas by
including the geometric nonlinearity in the formulations. The CPT
provides accurate results for thin plates made of homogeneous
materials. For moderately thick functionally graded (FG) plates, it
underestimates deflection and overestimates frequency due to
ignoring the shear deformation effects. To account for the shear
deformation effects, Ma et al. [26] and Ke et al. [27] employed
the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to develop a size-
dependent model for static and free vibration of microplates.
Although the FSDT provides sufficiently accurate result for moder-
ately thick FG plates, it is not convenient to use due to requiring a
shear correction factor [28–34]. It should be noted that the above
mentioned studies dealt with microbeams and microplates made
of homogeneous materials only. Recently, the modified coupled
stress theory is further applied to FG microbeams [35–39] and
FG microplates [40,41].
The third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) of Reddy [42]
is based on a displacement field that includes the cubic term in the
thickness coordinate, hence the transverse shear strain and hence
shear stress are represented as quadratic through the thickness
and vanish on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate. A shear cor-
rection factor is, therefore, not required. In spite of relatively more
complex algebraic equations and computational effort compared

1359-8368/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2012.09.065
 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645 1637

to the CPT and FSDT, the TSDT gives results which are close to 3D the rotation of the middle surface in the x and y directions, respec-
solutions [42,43]. Therefore, it is useful to extend the application of tively; and h is the plate thickness. The nonzero linear strains are
the TSDT to FG microplates by incorporating the size effects. The !
aim of this paper is to reformulate the TSDT to account for the size @u @ ux @ ux @ 2 w
ex ¼ þz  c 1 z3 þ 2 ð5aÞ
effects by using the modified couple stress theory [12]. The equa- @x @x @x @x
tions of motion are derived from Hamilton’s principle. Analytical
!
solutions for bending and free vibration problems are obtained @v @ uy @ uy @ 2 w
3
for a simply supported plate. Numerical examples are presented ey ¼ þz  c1 z þ 2 ð5bÞ
@y @y @y @y
to illustrate the size effects on the responses of FG microplates.
 
@u @ v @ ux @ uy
2. Theoretical formulation cxy ¼ þ þz þ
@y @x @y @x
!
2.1. Modified couple stress theory @ ux @ uy @2w
 c1 z3 þ þ2 ð5cÞ
@y @x @x@y
It should be noted that the modified couple stress theory of
Yang et al. [12] does not include a substantial part of the strain gra-  
@w
dient theory which is the increase of the higher order derivatives in cxz ¼ ð1  3c1 z2 Þ ux þ ð5dÞ
@x
the governing equilibrium equations. Those terms are necessary
for the development of boundary layers which are characteristic  
@w
of the strain gradient elasticity applications. Furthermore, Yang cyz ¼ ð1  3c1 z2 Þ uy þ ð5eÞ
@y
et al. [12] ends up with a symmetric stress tensor assuming zero
couple moment. This requirement is an additional condition which where c1 = 4/3h2. Substituting the displacement field (u1, u2, u3)
is not derived by any principle of mechanics. Further, couple stres- from Eq. (4) into Eq. (3), the components of the rotation vector
ses and symmetric stress tensor is not compatible. Unlike classical are obtained as
couple stress theory [8–10], the modified couple stress theory [12]    
1 @w @w
includes a symmetric couple stress tensor and involves only one hx ¼  uy þ 3c1 z2 uy þ ð6aÞ
2 @y @y
length scale parameter. According to the modified couple stress
theory, the virtual strain energy can be written as [12]    
1 @w @w
Z Z hy ¼   ux þ 3c1 z2 ux þ ð6bÞ
2 @x @x
dU ¼ rij deij dV þ mij dvij dV ð1Þ
V V
   
1 @ v @u   @ uy @ ux
where summation on repeated indices is implied; rij are the com- hz ¼  þ z  c 1 z3  ð6cÞ
2 @x @y @x @y
ponents of the stress tensor; eij are the components of the strain
tensor; mij are the components of the deviatoric part of the sym- Substituting Eq. (6) into Eq. (2), the components of the curvature
metric couple stress tensor; and vij are the components of the sym- tensor take the form
metric curvature tensor defined by ! !
  1 @ 2 w @ uy 3c1 z2 @ 2 w @ uy
1 @hi @hj vx ¼  þ þ ð7aÞ
vij ¼ þ ; i; j ¼ 1; 2; 3 ð2Þ 2 @x@y @x 2 @x@y @x
2 @xj @xi
! !
where hi are the components of the rotation vector related to the 1 @ 2 w @ ux 3c1 z2 @ 2 w @ ux
displacement field (u1, u2, u3) as vy ¼    þ ð7bÞ
2 @x@y @y 2 @x@y @y
 
1 @u3 @u2
hx ¼ h1 ¼  ð3aÞ  
2 @x2 @x3 1  3c1 z2 @ uy @ ux
  vz ¼  ð7cÞ
1 @u1 @u3 2 @x @y
hy ¼ h2 ¼  ð3bÞ
2 @x3 @x1 !
   
1 @u2 @u1 1 þ 3c1 z2 @ 2 w @ 2 w 1  3c1 z2 @ ux @ uy
hz ¼ h3 ¼  ð3cÞ vxy ¼ 2
 2 þ  ð7dÞ
2 @x1 @x2 4 @y @x 4 @x @y

! 2
!
2.2. Kinematics 1 @2v @2u z  c1 z3 @ uy @ 2 ux
vxz ¼  þ 
4 @x2 @x@y 4 @x2 @x@y
The TSDT is based on the assumption that the transverse shear  
3c1 z @w
strain and hence shear stress vanish on the top and bottom sur- þ uy þ ð7eÞ
2 @y
faces of the plate and are nonzero elsewhere. Thus, a shear correc-
tion factor is not required. The displacement field of Reddy’s theory ! 2
!
is given as [42] 1 @2v @2u z  c1 z3 @ uy @ 2 ux
vyz ¼  2 þ 
  4 @x@y @y 4 @x@y @y2
4z3
@w  
u1 ðx; y; z; tÞ ¼ uðx; y; tÞ þ zux  2
ux þ 3c1 z @w
3h @x  ux þ ð7fÞ
  2 @x
4z3 @w ð4Þ
u2 ðx; y; z; tÞ ¼ v ðx; y; t Þ þ zuy  2 uy þ
3h @y
u3 ðx; y; z; tÞ ¼ wðx; y; tÞ 2.3. Constitutive relations

where (u, v, w) are the displacements along the (x, y, z) coordinate Consider a FG plate made of two constituent functionally
directions of a point on the midplane of the plate; ux and uy are graded materials as shown in Fig. 1. The material properties of
1638 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645

2.4. Equations of motion

z
Hamilton’s principle is used herein to derive the equations of
y motion. The principle can be stated in an analytical form as [45]
Z T
0¼ ðdU þ dW  dKÞdt ð10Þ
Material 1 0

h/2 a where dU is the virtual strain energy, dW is the virtual work done by
h/2 Material 2 external forces, and dK is the virtual kinetic energy. The virtual
strain energy is given by (see Eq. (1))
x b Z Z h=2 
dU ¼ rx dex þ ry dey þ rxy dcxy þ rxz dcxz þ ryz dcyz dAdz
Fig. 1. Geometry of a FGM plate. A h=2
Z Z
 h=2
þ mx dvx þ my dvy þ mz dvz þ 2mxy dvxy þ 2mxz dvxz
the plate such as Young’s modulus E and mass density q are as- A h=2
Z "
sumed to vary continuously through the thickness by a power @du @dux @ 2 dw
law as þ2myz dvyz dAdz ¼ Nx þ ðMx  c1 Px Þ  c1 P x
A @x @x @x2
 
EðzÞ ¼ E2 þ ðE1  E2 ÞV 1 ð8aÞ @dv @duy @ 2 dw @du @dv
þNy þ ðM y  c1 Py Þ  c1 P y þ N xy þ
qðzÞ ¼ q2 þ ðq1  q2 ÞV 1 ð8bÞ @y @y @y2 @y @x
 
@dux @duy 2
@ dw
where V1 = (0.5 + z/h)p is the volume fraction of material 1, the sub- þðM xy  c1 Pxy Þ þ  2c1 Pxy þðQ x  3c1 Rx Þ
@y @x @x@y
scripts 1 and 2 represent the two materials used, and p is the power    
@dw @dw
law index indicating the volume fraction of material. The variation  dux þ þ ðQ y  3c1 Ry Þ duy þ dxdy
@x @y
of the volume fraction V1 through the thickness of the plate is illus- Z " ! !
trated in Fig. 2 for various values of the power law index. The linear X x @ 2 dw @duy 3c1 Z x @ 2 dw @duy
þ  þ þ
elastic constitutive relations are A 2 @x@y @x 2 @x@y @x
! !
8 9 2 38 9 X y @ 2 dw @dux 3c1 Z y @ 2 dw @dux
> rx > 1 m 0 0 0 > ex >    þ
>
> >
> >
> >
> 2 @x@y @y 2 @x@y @y
>
> 6m >
> 1 0 0 0 7 > >
< ry
> 6 >
= 7>
> ey >
> !
EðzÞ 6 ð1mÞ 7< =  
rxy ¼ 60 0 2
0 0 7 c ð9aÞ X z  3c1 Z z @duy @dux X xy þ 3c1 Z xy @ 2 dw @ 2 dw
>
> >
> 1  m2 6 7> xy >
7> þ  þ 
>
> r >
>
6
40 0 0 ð1mÞ
0 5>>c > >
> 2 @x @y 2 @y2 @x2
>
> yz >
> 2 >
> yz >
> !
: ; ð1mÞ : ;  
rxz 0 0 0 0 2
cxz X xy  3c1 Z xy @dux @duy X xz @ 2 dv @ 2 du
þ  þ 
2 @x @y 2 @x2 @x@y
EðzÞ 2 2
!  
mij ¼ ‘ vij ð9bÞ Y xz  c1 W xz @ duy @ dux 2
@dw
1þm þ 2
 þ 3c1 Y xz duy þ
2 @x @x@y @y
! !
where m is the Poisson’s ratio assumed to be constant, ‘ is the mate- 2
X yz @ dv @ du 2 2
Y yz  c1 W yz @ duy @ dux 2
rial length scale parameter which is regarded as a material property þ  þ 
2 @x@y @y2 2 @x@y @y2
measuring the effect of couple stress [44]. This parameter can be  
determined from torsion tests of slim cylinders [6] or bending tests @dw
3c1 Y yz dux þ dxdy ð11Þ
of thin beams [7]. @x
where N, M, P, Q, R, X, Y, Z, and W are the stress resultants defined by
Z h=2
p=50
ðNi ; M i ; Pi Þ ¼ ð1; z; z3 Þri dz; i ¼ x; y; xy ð12aÞ
h=2
p=10 Z h=2
p=5 ðQ i ; Ri Þ ¼ ð1; z2 Þriz dz; i ¼ x; y ð12bÞ
Thickness coordinate, z/h

h=2
Z h=2
p=2
ðX i ; Y i ; Z i ; W i Þ ¼ ð1; z; z2 ; z3 Þmi dz ð12cÞ
h=2
p=1
Substituting Eqs. (5) and (7) into Eq. (9) and the subsequent results
p=0.5 into Eq. (12), the stress resultants can be expressed in terms of gen-
eralized displacements (u, v, w, ux, uy) as
p=0.2     !
@u @v @ ux @ uy @2w @2w
p=0.1 Nx ¼ A þm þ ðB  c1 EÞ þm  c1 E þm 2
@x @y @x @y @x2 @y
p=0.02
ð13aÞ
    !
@u @ v @ u @ uy @2w @2w
Volume fraction of material 1, V1 Ny ¼ A m þ þ ðB  c1 EÞ m x þ  c1 E m 2þ 2
@x @y @x @y @x @y
Fig. 2. Variation of volume fraction V1 through the thickness of a FG plate for ð13bÞ
various values of the power law index p.
 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645 1639

    ! !  
1  m @u @ v 1  m @ ux @ uy @2w Bn @ 2 v @ 2 u
2
Dn  c1 F n @ uy @ 2 ux @w
Nxy ¼ A þ þ ðB  c1 EÞ þ  c1 Eð1  mÞ Y yz ¼  2 þ   3c1 Dn ux þ
2 @y @x 2 @y @x @x@y 2 @x@y @y 2 @x@y @y2 @x
ð13cÞ ð13sÞ
    ! 2
@ uy
@u @v @ ux @ uy @2w @2w @ w
Mx ¼ B þm þ ðD  c1 FÞ þm  c1 F þm 2 Z x ¼ ðDn þ 3c1 F n Þ  ðDn  3c1 F n Þ ð13tÞ
@x @y @x @y @x2 @y @x@y @x
@2w @ ux
ð13dÞ Z y ¼ ðDn þ 3c1 F n Þ þ ðDn  3c1 F n Þ ð13uÞ
@x@y @y
    !
@u @ v @ u @ uy @2w @2w 
@ uy @ ux

My ¼ B m þ þ ðD  c1 FÞ m x þ  c1 F m 2 þ 2
@x @y @x @y @x @y Z z ¼ ðDn  3c1 F n Þ  ð13vÞ
@x @y
ð13eÞ !  
    Dn þ 3c1 F n @ 2 w @ 2 w Dn  3c1 F n @ ux @ uy
1  m @u @ v 1  m @ ux @ uy @ w 2 Z xy ¼  þ 
M xy ¼ B þ þ ðD  c1 FÞ þ  c1 Fð1  mÞ 2 @y2 @x2 2 @x @y
2 @y @x 2 @y @x @x@y
ð13wÞ
ð13fÞ
! !  
    ! En @ 2 v @ 2 u
2
F n  c1 Hn @ uy @ 2 ux @w
@u @v @ ux @ uy @2w @2w W xz ¼  þ  þ 3c1 F n uy þ
Px ¼ E þm þ ðF  c1 HÞ þm  c1 H þm 2 2 @x 2 @x@y 2 @x2 @x@y @y
@x @y @x @y @x2 @y
ð13xÞ
ð13gÞ
! 2
!  
    ! En @2v @2u F n  c1 Hn @ uy @ 2 ux @w
@u @ v @ u @ uy @2w @2w Y yz ¼  2 þ  2
 3c1 F n ux þ
Py ¼ E m þ þ ðF  c 1 H Þ m x þ  c1 H m 2þ 2 2 @x@y @y 2 @x@y @y @x
@x @y @x @y @x @y
ð13yÞ
ð13hÞ
where
    Z
1  m @u @ v 1  m @ ux @ uy @2w h=2
EðzÞ
P xy ¼ E þ þ ðF  c 1 H Þ þ  c1 Hð1  mÞ ðA; B; D; E; F; HÞ ¼ ð1; z; z2 ; z3 ; z4 ; z6 Þ dz ð14aÞ
2 @y @x 2 @y @x @x@y 1  m2
h=2
ð13iÞ
  Z
1m @w h=2
‘2 EðzÞ
Qx ¼ ðA  3c1 DÞ ux þ ; ðAn ; Bn ; Dn ; En ; F n ; Hn Þ ¼ ð1; z; z2 ; z3 ; z4 ; z6 Þ dz ð14bÞ
2 @x h=2 2ð1 þ mÞ
 
1m @w
Qy ¼ ðA  3c1 DÞ uy þ ð13jÞ The virtual work done by external forces consists of three parts: (1)
2 @y virtual work done by the body forces in V = X  (h/2, h/2), (2) vir-
 
1m @w tual work done by surface tractions acting on the top and bottom
Rx ¼ ðD  3c1 FÞ ux þ ;
2 @x surfaces X, and (3) virtual work done by surface tractions acting
  on the lateral surface S = C  (h/2, h/2), where X denotes the mid-
1m @w
Ry ¼ ðD  3c1 FÞ uy þ ð13kÞ dle surface of the plate and C is the boundary of the middle surface
2 @y
[46]. Let (fx, fy, fz) be the body forces, (cx, cy, cz) be the body couples,
@2w @ uy (qx, qy, qz) be the surface forces acting on X, and (tx, ty, tz) be the sur-
X x ¼ ðAn þ 3c1 Dn Þ  ðAn  3c1 Dn Þ ð13lÞ
@x@y @x face forces acting on S. Then, the virtual work done by external
forces is
@2w @ ux
X y ¼ ðAn þ 3c1 Dn Þ þ ðAn  3c1 Dn Þ ð13mÞ Z
@x@y @y
  dW ¼  ðfx du1 þ fy du2 þ fz du3 þ cx dhx þ cy dhy þ cz dhz Þdxdy
@ uy @ ux Z
X
Z 
X z ¼ ðAn  3c1 Dn Þ  ð13nÞ
@x @y þ ðqx du1 þ qy du2 þ qz du3 Þdxdy þ ðt x du1 þ ty du2 þ tz du3 ÞdC
!   X C
An þ 3c1 Dn @ 2 w @ 2 w An  3c1 Dn @ ux @ uy
X xy ¼  þ  ð13oÞ ð15Þ
2 @y2 @x2 2 @x @y
! ! The virtual kinetic energy is expressed as
2
An @ 2 v @2u Bn  c1 En @ uy @ 2 ux Z
X xz ¼  þ 
2 @x2 @x@y 2 @x2 @x@y dK ¼ ðu_ 1 du_ 1 þ u_ 2 du_ 2 þ u_ 3 du_ 3 ÞqðzÞdAdz
  ZV
@w _ u_ þ v_ dv_ þ wd_ wÞ _ þ I 1 ðu _ u
_ x du_ þ ud _ x þu _ y dv_ þ v_ du _ yÞ
þ 3c1 Bn uy þ ð13pÞ ¼ I0 ðud
@y A
    
  @dw _ @w _
! 2
!   þ I2 u _ x du_ x þu _ y du_ y  c1 I3 u_ du _ xþ þ u _ xþ du_
An @ 2 v @ 2 u Bn  c1 En @ uy @ 2 ux @w     
@x
 
@x

X yz ¼  2 þ   3c 1 Bn ux þ
@dw_ @w_ @dw _
2 @x@y @y 2 @x@y @y2 @x
þv_ du _ yþ þ u _ yþ dv_  c1 I4 u _ x du _ xþ
@y @y @x
ð13qÞ       
@w_ @dw _ @w_
! ! þ u _ xþ du _ x þu _ y du _ yþ þ u _ yþ du_y
2   @x @y @y
Bn @ 2 v @ 2 u Dn  c1 F n @ uy @ 2 ux @w      
Y xz ¼  þ  þ 3c1 Dn uy þ @ w _ @d w_ @ w_ @dw _
2 @x2 @x@y 2 @x2 @x@y @y c21 I6 u _ xþ du _ xþ þ u _ yþ du _ yþ dxdy
@x @x @y @y
ð13rÞ
ð16Þ
1640 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645

!
where dot-superscript convention indicates the differentiation with 1 @Y xz @Y yz 1
respect to the time variable t; q(z) is the mass density; and Ii are the ux or Mux  Mx nx þ M xy ny þ þ ny þ ðX xy nx
2 @x @y 2
mass inertias defined by
Z h=2
þ X y ny  X z ny Þ ð20dÞ
Ii ¼ i
z qðzÞdz ð17Þ !
1 @Y xz @Y yz
h=2 uy or Muy  Mxy nx þ My ny  þ nx
2 @x @y
Substituting Eqs. (11), (15), and (16) into Eq. (10) and integrating by
parts, and collecting the coefficients of (du, dv, d w, dux, duy), the fol- 1 
 X xy ny þ X x nx  X z nx ð20eÞ
lowing equations of motion are obtained 2
!
@Nx @Nxy 1 @ 2 X xz @ 2 X yz 1 @cz @w
du : þ þ þ þ fx þ qx þ or c1 Pnn ð20fÞ
@x @y 2 @x@y @y2 2 @y @n
€
@w where
€ þ J1 u
¼ I0 u € x  c1 I3 ð18aÞ 
@x
Pns ¼ ðPy  Px Þnx ny þ Pxy n2x  n2y ð21aÞ
!
2 2
@Nxy @Ny 1 @ X xz @ X yz 1 @cz Pnn ¼ Px n2x þ Py n2y þ 2Pxy nx ny ð21bÞ
dv : þ  þ þ fy þ qy 
@x @y 2 @x2 @x@y 2 @x
@ @ @ @ @ @
€
@w ¼ nx þ ny ; ¼ nx  ny ð21cÞ
¼ I0 v€ þ J 1 u
€ y  c1 I3 ð18bÞ @n @x @y @s @y @x
@y
Clearly, when size effects are neglected (‘ = 0), the present model
!
  recovers the classical Reddy’s theory [47].
2 2 2
@Q x @Q y @ Px @ Pxy @ Py @Y xz @Y yz Eq. (20) provides all possible boundary conditions for a rectan-
dw : þ þ c1 2
þ2 þ 2
þ 3c1 
@x @y @x @x@y @y @y @x gular microplate. These boundary conditions refer to either pre-
!  
2b 2b
1 @ X xy @ X xy @ ð X y  X2 b b xÞ 2h @cy @cx scribed displacements or stress resultants or a combination of
þ 2
 2
þ þ fz þ qz þ  both. For example, the boundary conditions of a rectangular micro-
2 @x @y @x@y 3 @x @y
    plate with all edges simply supported are
@u€ @ v€ @u€ x @u €y
€  c21 I6 r2 w
¼ I0 w € þ c1 I3 þ þ c1 J 4 þ ð18cÞ 1
@x @y @x @y v ¼ w ¼ uy ¼ N x ¼ M x þX xy ¼ Px ¼ 0; at x ¼ 0; a ð22aÞ
2
! 1
@Mx @Mxy 1 @X xy @X y @X z @ 2 Y xz @ 2 Y yz u ¼ w ¼ ux ¼ Ny ¼ My  X xy ¼ Py ¼ 0; at y ¼ 0; b ð22bÞ
dux : þ  Qx þ þ  þ þ 2
@x @y 2 @x @y @y @x@y @y2
and those of a rectangular microplate with all edges clamped are
cy h €
@w
þ 3c1 Y yz þ € þ K2u
¼ J1 u € x  c1 J 4 ð18dÞ @w
3 @x u ¼ v ¼ w ¼ ux ¼ uy ¼ ¼ 0; at x ¼ 0; a ð23aÞ
! @x
@Mxy @My 1 @X x @X xy @X z @ 2 Y xz @ 2 Y yz @w
duy : þ  Qy  þ  þ þ u¼v ¼ w ¼ ux ¼ uy ¼ ¼ 0; at y ¼ 0; b ð23bÞ
@x @y 2 @x @y @x @x2 @x@y @y
cx h €
@w
 3c1 Y xz  ¼ J 1 v€ þ K 2 u
€ y  c1 J 4 ð18eÞ
3 @y 2.5. Equations of motion in terms of displacements

where
Substituting Eq. (13) into Eq. (18), the equations of motion can be
M ¼ M  c1 P; Q ¼ Q  3c1 R ð19aÞ expressed in terms of generalized displacements (u, v, w, ux, uy) as
! !
Y ¼ Y  c1 W; b ¼ X þ 3c1 Z
X ¼ X  3c1 Z; X ð19bÞ @2u 1  m @2u 1 þ m @2v An 2 @ 2 v @2u
A þ þ þ r 
@x2 2 @y2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @y2
J i ¼ Ii  c1 Iiþ2 ; K 2 ¼ I2  2c1 I4 þ c21 I6 ð19cÞ 2
!
@w @ 2 ux 1  m @ 2 ux 1 þ m @ uy
 c1 Er2 þB þ þ
The boundary conditions involve specifying one element of each of @x @x2 2 @y2 2 @x@y
the following six pairs: 2
! 2
!
  Bn 2 @ uy @ ux 2
3c1 Bn @ uy @ 2 ux
1 @X xz @X yz þ r  þ  þ f x þ qx
u or Nu  Nx nx þ Nxy ny þ þ þ cz ny ð20aÞ 4 @x@y @y2 2 @x@y @y2
2 @x @y
1 @cz €
@w
  þ € þ J1 u
¼ I0 u € x  c1 I3 ð24aÞ
1 @X xz @X yz 2 @y @x
v or Nv  Nxy nx þ Ny ny  þ þ cz nx ð20bÞ
2 @x @y ! !
@2v 1  m @2v 1 þ m @2u An 2 @ 2 u @ 2 v
     A þ þ þ r 
@Px @Pxy @Pxy @Py @Pns @y2 2 @x2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @x2
w or V  Q x nx þ Q y ny þ c1 þ nx þ þ ny þ !
! @x @y ! @x @y @s
2 @w @ 2 uy 1  m @ 2 uy 1 þ m @ 2 ux
1 @X b xy @ X by 1 @Xbx @X b xy  c1 Er þB þ þ
þ þ nx  þ ny @y @y2 2 @x2 2 @x@y
2 @x @y 2 @x @y ! !
  Bn 2 @ ux @ uy
2 2
3c1 Bn @ ux @ uy
2 2
€
@w
þ 3c1 ðY xz ny  Y yz nx Þ þ c1 I3 u€ þ J4 u
€ x  c1 I6 nx þ r  þ  þ f y þ qy
@x 4 @x@y @x2 2 @x@y @x2
  
@w€ 1 @cz €
@w
þ I3 v€ þ J 4 u
€ y  c1 I6 ny ð20cÞ  ¼ I0 v€ þ J 1 u
€ y  c1 I3 ð24bÞ
@y 2 @x @y
 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645 1641

  !   pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
@u @ v where i ¼ 1; a ¼ mp=a; b ¼ np=b; ðU mn ; V mn ; W bmn ; W smn Þ are
c 1 Er2 þ  c21 H þ
An
r4 w þ A b 1  m þ 9c2 Dn
@x @y 4 2 1 coefficients, and x is the frequency of vibration. The transverse load
  !   q is expanded in the double-Fourier sine series as
@ ux @ uy e
An @ ux @ uy
 r2 w þ þ þ c1 F þ r2 þ X
1 X
1
@x @y 4 @x @y qðx; yÞ ¼ Q mn sin ax sin by ð27Þ
   
2h @cy @cx 2 € @ v€
@u m¼1 n¼1
þ fz þ qz þ  €  c21 I6 r w
¼ I0 w € þ c1 I3 þ
 3 @x @y @x @y where
@u€ x @u €y Z aZ b
þ c1 J 4 þ ð24cÞ 4
@x @y Q mn ¼ qðx; yÞ sin ax sin bydxdy
ab 0 0
! ! (
@2u 1  m @2u 1 þ m @2v Bn 2 @ 2 v @2u q0 for sinusoidally distributed load
B þ þ þ r  ¼ ð28Þ
@x2 2 @y2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @y2 16q0
for uniformly distributed load
! ! mnp2
3c1 Bn @ 2 v @2u en
A @w
þ  2  c1 F þ r2 Substituting Eqs. (26) and (27) into Eq. (24), the analytical solutions
2 @x@y @y 4 @x can be obtained from the following equations
   !
b 1  m @w @ 2 uy @ 2 ux 02 3 2 31
 A 2
þ 9c1 Dn ux þ þ 3c1 Dn  s11 s12 s13 s14 s15 m11 0 m13 m14 0
2 @x @x@y @y2 B6 7 6 7C
! ! B6 s12 s22 s23 s24 s25 7 6 0 m22 m23 0 m25 7C
2 e 2 B6 7 6 7C
e @ ux þ 1  m @ ux þ 1 þ m @ uy þ D n r2 @ uy  @ ux
2 2 2
þD B6 7 26 7C
B6 s13 s23 s33 s34 s35 7  x 6 m13 m23 m33 m34 m35 7C
@x2 2 @y2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @y2 B6 7 6 7C
! B6 s s24 s34 s44 s45 7 6m 0 m34 m44 0 7 C
b n @2u 2
@ uy @4 14 5 4 14 5A
A x @ 2 ux cy h @w€
þ þ4 3 þ € þ K2u
¼ J1 u € x  c1 J 4
4 @x2 @y2 @x@y 3 @x s15 s25 s35 s45 s55 0 m25 m35 0 m55
8 9 8 9
ð24dÞ > U mn > > 0 >
>
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> >
> > >
! ! >
> V > >>0 > >
< mn > = >< >
=
@2v 1  m @2v 1 þ m @2u Bn 2 @ 2 u @ 2 v  W mn ¼ Q mn ð29Þ
B þ þ þ r  > >
@y2 2 @x2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @x2 >
> > >> >
>
! ! > > >
> X mn >
> >0 >
> >
>
en >
> >
> > >
2
3c1 Bn @ u @ v 2
A @w : ; >: >
;
þ   c1 F þ r2 Y mn 0
2 @x@y @x2 4 @y
   !
@ 2 ux @ uy
2 where
 A b 1  m þ 9c2 Dn u þ
@w
þ 3c D
1 n 
2 1 y
@y @x@y @x2 1  m 2 An 2  2  1þm An
! ! s11 ¼ Aa2 þ Ab þ b a þ b2 ; s12 ¼ Aab  abða2 þ b2 Þ
2 2
@ uy 1  m @ uy 1 þ m @ 2 ux e n 2 @2u
D @ 2 uy 2 4 2 4
þDe þ þ þ r x
 1  m 2 Bn 2 2 3c1 Bn 2
@y2 2 @x2 2 @x@y 4 @x@y @x2 2 2
s13 ¼ c1 Eaða þ b Þ; s14 ¼ Ba þ 2
Bb þ b ða þ b2 Þ  b
! 2 4 2
b n @ uy
A
2 2
@ uy 2
@ ux cx h @w€
þ þ4 3  ¼ J 1 v€ þ K 2 u
€ y  c1 J 4 1þm Bn 3c1 Bn
4 @y2 @x2 @x@y 3 @y s15 ¼ Bab  abða2 þ b2 Þ þ ab
2 4 2
ð24eÞ 1  m 2 An 2 2
s22 ¼ Ab2 þ Aa þ a ða þ b2 Þ;s23 ¼ c1 Ebða2 þ b2 Þ; s24 ¼ s15
2 4
where
2 1  m 2 Bn 2 2 3c1 Bn 2
s25 ¼ Bb þ Ba þ a ða þ b2 Þ  a
B ¼ B  c1 E; Bn ¼ Bn  c1 En ; F ¼ F  c1 H; Dn ¼ Dn  c1 F n 2 ! 4 2
e ¼ D  2c1 F þ c2 H; D
e n ¼ Dn  2c1 F n þ c2 Hn  
D An 1mb
1 1
ð25Þ s33 ¼ c21 H þ ða2 þ b2 Þ2 þ A þ 9c21 Dn ða2 þ b2 Þ
b ¼ A  6c1 D þ 9c2 F; A
A b n ¼ An  6c1 Dn þ 9c2 F n 4 2
1 1
e n ¼ An  9c2 F n !  
An ¼ An þ 6c1 Dn þ 9c2 F n ; A
1 1 e
An  2  1m b
s34 ¼  c1 F þ a þ b2 a þ A þ 9c21 Dn a
4 2
!  
2.6. Analytical solutions en
A 1m b
s35 ¼  c1 F þ ða2 þ b2 Þb þ A þ 9c21 Dn b
4 2
In this section, analytical solutions for bending and free vibra-
e
tion are presented for a simply supported rectangular plate under e a2 þ 1  m Db
s44 ¼ D e 2 þ D n b2 ða2 þ b2 Þ  3c1 Dn b2
transverse load qz = q. Based on the Navier approach, the solutions 2 4
are assumed as bn
A 1  m
þ ða2 þ 4b2 Þ þ b þ 9c2 Dn
A
X
1 X
1
4 2 1
uðx; y; tÞ ¼ U mn cos ax sin byeixt en bn
1þm e D 3A
m¼1 n¼1 s45 ¼ D ab  abða2 þ b2 Þ þ 3c1 Dn ab  ab
X1 X 1 2 4 4
v ðx; y; tÞ ¼ V mn sin ax cos byeixt e
m¼1 n¼1 e 2 þ1mD
s55 ¼ Db e a2 þ D n a2 ða2 þ b2 Þ  3c1 Dn a2
X1 X 1 2 4
wðx; y; tÞ ¼ W mn sin ax sin byeixt ð26Þ bn
A 1  m
m¼1 n¼1
2
þ ð4a2 þ b Þ þ A b þ 9c21 Dn
X
1 X 1 4 2
ux ðx; y; tÞ ¼ X mn cos ax sin byeixt m11 ¼ m22 ¼ I0 ; m13 ¼ ac1 I3 ; m14 ¼ J 1 ; m23 ¼ bc1 I3 ; m25 ¼ J 1
m¼1 n¼1
X1 X 1 m33 ¼ I0 þ c21 I6 ða2 þ b2 Þ;m34 ¼ ac1 J 4 ; m35 ¼ bc1 J 4 ;m44 ¼ m55 ¼ K 2
uy ðx; y; tÞ ¼ Y mn sin ax cos byeixt
m¼1 n¼1
ð30Þ
1642 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645

3. Numerical results and discussion Poisson’s ratio is assumed to be constant through the plate thick-
ness and equal to 0.3. The value of material length scale parameter
3.1. Verification studies ‘ is equal to 17.6  106 m based on the experimental work re-
ported by Lam et al. [7] for homogeneous epoxy beams. So far, no
Since the results of microplate made of FGM are not available in experimental data are available for FG microplates. Therefore, the
the open literature, only homogeneous plate is used herein for the value of material length scale parameter for homogeneous epoxy
verification. Consider a simply supported microplate made of beams is approximately used for FG microplates. For convenience,
epoxy with the following material properties [37]: E = 1.44 GPa, the following dimensionless forms are used:
m = 0.3, q = 1220 kg/m3, h = 88  106 m. Table 1 shows the dimen- 3 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
sionless deflections w  of a simply supported microplate under a 10wE1 h rh a2
 ¼
w ; r ¼ ; x
 ¼x q1 =E1 ð32Þ
sinusoidal load q0. The dimensionless deflection is defined as q0 a4 q0 a h
3
 ¼ 10wEh
w q a4
. The calculated deflections are compared with those pre-
0

dicted by Tsiatas [22] based on the CPT. The analytical solutions of
the CPT [22] is given as w ¼ ðDþA Þðqa0 2 þb2 Þ2 . It can be seen that, for the
n
case of thin plate with thickness ratio a/h P 20, the obtained re-
sults agree well with those predicted by the CPT [22]. Whereas,
for the case of thick plate with a/h = 5, the difference between
the present theory and CPT [22] is found. This is due to the effect
of shear deformation which is included in the present theory but
omitted in the CPT [22].
Table 2 contains the dimensionless fundamental frequency x  of
a simply supported square plate. The dimensionless frequency is
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
defined as x  ¼ x ah2 q=E. The obtained frequencies are compared
with those predicted by Yin et al. [23] based on the CPT.
The analytical solution of the CPT [23] is given as x ¼
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ða2 þ b2 Þ ðD þ An Þ=I0 . Again, the present results agree well with
those predicted by Yin et al. [23] for thin plate with thickness ratio
a/h P 20. However, the difference between the results is observed
for the case of thick plate with a/h = 5 due to the effect of shear
deformation.
3.2. Parameter studies
In this section, numerical results of a simply supported square
FG microplate are presented. The FG microplate considered herein
is made of aluminum (as material 2) and alumina (as material 1)
with the following material properties [39]:
E1 ¼ 380 GPa; q1 ¼ 3800 kg=m3 ; E2 ¼ 70 GPa; q2
¼ 2702 kg=m3
3.2.1. Bending results
For bending analysis, a plate subjected to sinusoidally distrib-
uted load is considered. The closed-form solutions (Umn, Vmn, Wbmn,
Wsmn) can be obtained from Eq. (29) by setting the frequency x

equal to zero. Numerical results of dimensionless deflection w
are presented in Table 3 for different values of thickness ratio a/
h, dimensionless material length scale parameter ‘/h, and power
law index p. The variations of deflection and stresses of homoge-
neous (p = 0) and functionally graded (p = 1) plates are plotted in
Figs. 3–6 for both without and with the material length scale
parameter (‘ = h).
In general, the inclusion of the material length scale parameter
makes the plate behave stiffer, and consequently, leads to a reduc-
tion of both deflection (see Fig. 3) and stresses (see Figs. 4–6). This
means that the classical model (i.e., ‘ = 0) overestimates deflection
of the microplate. It is also observed from Table 3 that increasing
value of the power law index p will reduce the stiffness of FG
plates, and consequently, leads to an increase in the deflections.
This is due to the fact that higher values of power law index p cor-
respond to high portion of metal in comparison with the ceramic
part, thus making such FG plates more flexible.
The effect of the length scale parameter on dimensionless
deflection w is also illustrated in Fig. 7. It can be seen that the effect
of the length scale parameter is only significant when the plate
thickness is small (with h = ‘ = 17.6  106 m here), but it is
negligible when the plate thickness becomes larger (h = 20‘). This
Table 3
ð31Þ
 of a simply supported square plate.
Dimensionless deflection w

a/h ‘/h Power law index, p

Table 1
 of a homogeneous square plate.
Comparison of dimensionless deflection w 0 0.5 1 2 5 10
5 0 0.3433 0.5177 0.6688 0.8671 1.0885 1.2276
‘/h a/h = 5 a/h = 20 a/h = 100
0.2 0.2875 0.4275 0.5468 0.7067 0.8981 1.0247
CPT [22] Present CPT [22] Present CPT [22] Present 0.4 0.1934 0.2807 0.3535 0.4548 0.5925 0.6908
0.6 0.1251 0.1786 0.2224 0.2855 0.3802 0.4514
0 0.2803 0.3433 0.2803 0.2842 0.2803 0.2804
0.8 0.0838 0.1183 0.1464 0.1878 0.2539 0.3052
0.2 0.2399 0.2875 0.2399 0.2430 0.2399 0.2401
1 0.0588 0.0825 0.1017 0.1304 0.1782 0.2158
0.4 0.1676 0.1934 0.1676 0.1693 0.1676 0.1677
0.6 0.1116 0.1251 0.1116 0.1124 0.1116 0.1116 10 0 0.2961 0.4537 0.5890 0.7573 0.9114 1.0087
0.8 0.0760 0.0838 0.0760 0.0765 0.0760 0.0760 0.2 0.2520 0.3798 0.4885 0.6284 0.7743 0.8697
1 0.0539 0.0588 0.0539 0.0542 0.0539 0.0539 0.4 0.1742 0.2551 0.3231 0.4162 0.5349 0.6175
0.6 0.1150 0.1649 0.2065 0.2664 0.3538 0.4177
0.8 0.0780 0.1103 0.1372 0.1772 0.2403 0.2879
1 0.0552 0.0774 0.0959 0.1238 0.1702 0.2058
Table 2 20 0 0.2842 0.4377 0.5689 0.7298 0.8669 0.9538
Comparison of dimensionless fundamental frequency x
 of a homogeneous square 0.2 0.2430 0.3677 0.4737 0.6086 0.7429 0.8303
plate. 0.4 0.1693 0.2486 0.3153 0.4063 0.5201 0.5986
0.6 0.1124 0.1614 0.2025 0.2615 0.3470 0.4090
‘/h a/h = 5 a/h = 20 a/h = 100
0.8 0.0765 0.1083 0.1349 0.1744 0.2368 0.2834
CPT [23] Present CPT [23] Present CPT [23] Present 1 0.0542 0.0761 0.0944 0.1222 0.1681 0.2033
0 5.9734 5.2813 5.9734 5.9199 5.9734 5.9712 100 0 0.2804 0.4326 0.5625 0.7209 0.8527 0.9362
0.2 6.4556 5.7699 6.4556 6.4027 6.4556 6.4535 0.2 0.2401 0.3639 0.4689 0.6022 0.7327 0.8176
0.4 7.7239 7.0330 7.7239 7.6708 7.7239 7.7217 0.4 0.1677 0.2465 0.3128 0.4031 0.5153 0.5925
0.6 9.4673 8.7389 9.4673 9.4116 9.4673 9.4651 0.6 0.1116 0.1603 0.2011 0.2599 0.3448 0.4061
0.8 11.4713 10.6766 11.4713 11.4108 11.4713 11.4689 0.8 0.0760 0.1076 0.1341 0.1736 0.2357 0.2820
1 13.6213 12.7408 13.6213 13.5545 13.6213 13.6186 1 0.0539 0.0756 0.0939 0.1216 0.1675 0.2024
 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645 1643

0.6 0.5
0.4
0.5
0.3

0.4 0.2
0.1
0.3

z/h
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
0.2 -0.1
-0.2
0.1 -0.3
-0.4
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 -0.5

 of a square under sinusoidal load (a = 10h).

Fig. 3. Dimensionless deflection w Fig. 6. Variation of dimensionless transverse shear stress r
 xz across the thickness of
a square plate under sinusoidal load (a = 10h).

0.5
1.2
0.4
p=10
0.3 1
0.2
0.8
0.1
z/h

0 p=1
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 0.6
-0.1
-0.2 0.4
p=0
-0.3
0.2
-0.4
-0.5 0
0 4 8 12 16 20

Fig. 4. Variation of dimensionless in-plane normal stress r

 x across the thickness of
a square plate under sinusoidal load (a = 10h). Fig. 7. Effect of the material length scale parameter ‘ on the dimensionless
deflection w of a square plate (a/h = 10).

0.5
Table 4
0.4 Dimensionless frequency x
 of a simply supported square plate.

0.3 a/h ‘/h Power law index, p

0.2 0 0.5 1 2 5 10

0.1 5 0 5.2813 4.5180 4.0781 3.6805 3.3938 3.2514

0.2 5.7699 4.9715 4.5094 4.0755 3.7327 3.5548
z/h

0 0.4 7.0330 6.1339 5.6071 5.0763 4.5862 4.3200

-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5
-0.1 0.6 8.7389 7.6895 7.0662 6.4011 5.7137 5.3335
0.8 10.6766 9.4456 8.7058 7.8861 6.9796 6.4759
-0.2 1 12.7408 11.3086 10.4397 9.4536 8.3193 7.6895
-0.3 10 0 5.7694 4.9014 4.4192 4.0090 3.7682 3.6368
0.2 6.2537 5.3571 4.8526 4.4006 4.0876 3.9162
-0.4
0.4 7.5210 6.5361 5.9664 5.4071 4.9169 4.6464
-0.5 0.6 9.2543 8.1295 7.4619 6.7580 6.0447 5.6487
0.8 11.2396 9.9398 9.1537 8.2863 7.3338 6.8030
1 13.3651 11.8682 10.9511 9.9101 8.7135 8.0448
Fig. 5. Variation of dimensionless in-plane shear stress r
 xy across the thickness of a
20 0 5.9199 5.0180 4.5228 4.1100 3.8884 3.7622
square plate under sinusoidal load (a = 10h).
0.2 6.4027 5.4744 4.9568 4.5006 4.2005 4.0323
0.4 7.6708 6.6585 6.0756 5.5082 5.0199 4.7488
0.6 9.4116 8.2630 7.5817 6.8661 6.1457 5.7453
indicates that the size effect is only significant when the plate 0.8 11.4108 10.0895 9.2887 8.4062 7.4397 6.9013
thickness is at the micron scale, which agrees with the general 1 13.5545 12.0372 11.1042 10.0450 8.8286 8.1494
trends observed in experiments. 100 0 5.9712 5.0575 4.5579 4.1445 3.9299 3.8058
0.2 6.4535 5.5142 4.9922 4.5346 4.2394 4.0725
0.4 7.7217 6.7000 6.1126 5.5425 5.0552 4.7840
3.2.2. Free vibration results 0.6 9.4651 8.3084 7.6224 6.9027 6.1800 5.7782
The closed-form solution for frequency x can be obtained from 0.8 11.4689 10.1402 9.3344 8.4467 7.4755 6.9345
Eq. (29) by setting the applied load Qmn equal to zero. Table 4 con- 1 13.6186 12.0944 11.1560 10.0904 8.8673 8.1846

tains the dimensionless fundamental frequency x  for various cases

of including (‘ – 0) or not including (‘ = 0) the length scale effect in effect of the material length scale parameter ‘ is to increase the
homogeneous (p = 0) and FG (p – 0) plates. It can be seen that the magnitude of the frequency. In other words, the inclusion of the
1644 H.-T. Thai, S.-E. Kim / Composites: Part B 45 (2013) 1636–1645
8 [4] Fleck NA, Muller GM, Ashby MF, Hutchinson JW. Strain gradient plasticity:
7 length scale. Acta Mater 1998;46(14):5109–15.
6 p=0
5
p=1
4 p=10
3 theory for elasticity. Int J Solids Struct 2002;39(10):2731–43.
0 4 8 12 16
Fig. 8. Effect of the material length scale parameter ‘ on the dimensionless
frequency x of a square plate (a/h = 10).
material length scale effect will increase stiffness of the microplate,
and consequently, leads to an increase in frequency. It is also ob-
served from Table 4 that an increase in the value of the power
law index p leads to a reduction of frequency.
Fig. 8 shows the effect of the length scale parameter on dimen-
sionless frequency x  of a square FG plate. It can be seen that the
frequency values predicted by the present model (‘ – 0) are always
greater than those obtained by the classical model (‘ = 0). The dif-
ference between frequencies predicted by the present model and
classical model is more significant when the thickness of the plate
is small, but it is negligible with increasing the thickness of the
plate. This indicates that the size effect is pronounced and must
be taken into account only when the thickness of the plate is at
the micron scale.
4. Conclusions
Based on the Reddy plate theory and modified couple stress the-
ory, a size-dependent model is developed for bending and vibra-
tion analysis of FG microplates. The equations of motion and
boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton’s principle. Ana-
lytical solutions for bending and free vibration problems are ob-
tained for a simply supported plate. The numerical results reveal
that the inclusion of small scale effects results in an increase in
plate stiffness, and consequently, leads to a reduction of deflection
and an increase in frequency. Such small scale effects are signifi-
cant when the plate thickness is small, but they are negligible with
increasing plate thickness. These predicted trends agree with the
small scale effects at the micron scale observed in experiments.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation
of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MEST) (No.
2011-0030847), and the Human Resources Development of the
Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KE-
TEP) grant funded by the Korea government Ministry of Knowledge
Economy (No. 20104010100520).
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