Free vibration of functionally graded spatial curved beams

A formulation for the free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) spatial curved beams is presented by taking into account the effects of thickness-curvature. The governing equation is based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and Ritz method is employed to obtain the natural frequencies. The curved beams presented are in the form of the cylindrical helical spring. The material distribution is in the direction of the curvature of the curved beam. The results for isotropic planar curved beams are validated with the known data in the literature. The effects of helix pitch angle, number of turns and boundary conditions on frequency parameters of spatial curved beams are investigated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.