Interaction Between Thermal Field and Two-Dimensional Functionally Graded Materials: A Structural Mechanical Example

The buckling and free vibration of a Euler–Bernoulli beam composed of two-directional functionally graded materials (FGMs) in thermal environment are analyzed. The material properties and temperature distributions are considered to be continuously varied along both axial and thickness directions. Such two-directional FGMs provide the basis of a promising strategy to tune the dynamic behavior of a structure in a controlled fashion, achieving tunable response as desired. The dynamic equation of the beam and relevant boundary conditions are derived based on Hamilton’s principle. The generalized differential quadrature method is used for determining the exact buckling configuration and the natural frequencies of the beam with different boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented to examine the effects of material gradations on the critical buckling temperature. It is concluded that both temperature change and material properties have significant influences on the natural frequency, which suggests that it is possible to tailor or tune the dynamic behaviors of a beam by using man-made FGMs in a complex environment.