Transient responses in a functionally graded cylindrical shell to a point load

A numerical method is proposed for analyzing transient waves in cylindrical shells of a functionally graded material (FGM) excited by impact point loads. In the present method, the FGM shell is divided into layer elements with three nodal lines along the wall thickness. The material property within each element is assumed to vary linearly in the thickness direction, which represents the spatial variation of material property of FGM. This can further reduce the number of elements to obtain more accurate results effectively. The Hamilton principle is used to develop approximate dynamic equilibrium equations. The displacement response is determined by employing the Fourier transformation and the modal analysis. As examples, the displacement responses of FGM shells excited by point loads are calculated, and the characteristics of waves in FGM shells are discussed. The computations have shown the efficiency of the present method. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.