Application of Carrera unified formulation in conjunction with finite strip method in static and stability analysis of functionally graded plates

This paper presents the static and mechanical buckling analyses of thick functionally graded (FG) plates. For this purpose, Carrera's unified formulation (CUF) and the principle of virtual displacement are employed in the numerical finite strip method (FSM). CUF transforms the governing three-dimensional (3D) elasticity equations to quasi-3D ones by employing a set of thickness functions. Since this formulation is capable of considering the effects of shear deformations in a realistic manner, it is suitable for analyzing the structures in which these deformations play a major role and cannot be ignored. Another major advantage of CUF is that the governing equations are expressed in terms of a few fundamental nuclei, which are independent of the order of thickness functions used in the transverse direction and the description of the equivalent single layer or layer-wise variables. The accuracy of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing the obtained results with those available in the literature. The effect of various parameters such as boundary conditions, aspect ratio, plate thickness, and material distribution across the thickness of the plate are investigated.