Thermo-Mechanical Bending Response of Exponentially Graded Thick Plates Resting on Elastic Foundations

Abstract

The trigonometric shear and normal deformations plate theory is used to study the thermo-mechanical bending analysis of exponentially graded (EG) thick rectangular plates resting on Pasternak elastic foundations. Material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to an exponential law distribution, meaning that Lamé coefficients vary exponentially in a given fixed z-direction. The governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual displacements. The analytical solutions are obtained by using Navier technique and the effects of stiffness of the foundations, thermal loading, and gradient index on thermo-mechanical responses of the plates are discussed. Numerical results for the bending response for EG rectangular plates are investigated and some of them are compared with those available in the literature.