An exact solution for free vibration of thin functionally graded rectangular plates

Abstract

The aim of this article is to find an exact analytical solution for free vibration characteristics of thin functionally graded rectangular plates with different boundary conditions. The governing equations of motion are obtained based on the classical plate theory. Using an analytical method, three partial differential equations of motion are reformulated into two new decoupled equations. Based on the Navier solution, a closed-form solution is presented for natural frequencies of functionally graded simply supported rectangular plates. Then, considering Levy-type solution, natural frequencies of functionally graded plates are presented for various boundary conditions. Three mode shapes of a functionally graded rectangular plate are also presented for different boundary conditions. In addition, the effects of aspect ratio, thickness—length ratio, power law index, and boundary conditions on the vibration characteristics of functionally graded rectangular plates are discussed in details. Finally, it has been shown that the effects of in-plane displacements on natural frequencies of functionally graded plates under different boundary conditions have been studied.