TORSION OF FUNCTIONALLY GRADED OPEN-SECTION MEMBERS

Abstract

There exist some approximate analytical methods for torsion analysis of homogeneous open cross-section members; however, no analytical formulation has been presented for solving a torsion problem of inhomogeneous open cross-section members yet. In this paper, an approximate analytical method for the torsion analysis of thin- to moderately thick-walled functionally graded open-section members with uniform thickness is presented. The shear modulus of rigidity is assumed to have a variation across the thickness. The cross-section is decomposed into some straight, curved and end segments. The torsion problem is then solved in each segment considering some appropriate approximations. By presenting three examples, accuracy of the presented method with respect to thickness, corner radius, and material parameters are investigated. The results show that the proposed method is useful for torsion analysis of thin- to moderately thick-walled functionally graded open-section members.