Vibro-acoustic and buckling behavior of bi-directional variable thickness FGM plates under non-uniform edge loads

The vibroacoustic and buckling response of FGM plates with bi-directionally varying thickness under the influence of non-uniform edge loads is investigated. The linear variation in thickness along the x and y directions is considered. Employing Hamilton’s principle and a higher-order shear deformation theory, the governing differential equations are derived. By using Galerkin’s method for semi-analytical solution, the free vibration and buckling response of variable thickness FGM plate are obtained. The vibro-acoustic response is calculated using Rayleigh’s integral method. The certainty of the present method is verified through comparisons with available results in the open literature. It is observed that the increase in the thickness coefficient and power law index influences the radiated sound power in such a way that the peak values shift toward lower frequencies.