Vibration analyses of FGM plates with in-plane material inhomogeneity by Ritz method

In this study, functionally graded plates which the properties of material varying through the in-plane direction is considered. The analysis is based on a five-degree-of-freedom shear deformable plate theory with different boundary conditions. The vibration solutions are obtained using the Ritz method and assumed displacement functions are in the form of the Chebyshev polynomials. The material properties are assumed to vary as a power form of the in-plane direction. The convergence and comparison studies demonstrate the accuracy and correctness of the present method. Effects of the different material composition, the Poisson ratio and the plate geometry (side-side, side-thickness) on the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes are investigated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.