A refined quasi-3D shear deformation theory for thermo-mechanical behavior of functionally graded sandwich plates on elastic foundations

In this paper, a refined quasi-three-dimensional shear deformation theory for thermo-mechanical analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak model) elastic foundation is developed. Unlike the other higher-order theories the number of unknowns and governing equations of the present theory is only four against six or more unknown displacement functions used in the corresponding ones. Furthermore, this theory takes into account the stretching effect due to its quasi-three-dimensional nature. The boundary conditions in the top and bottoms surfaces of the sandwich functionally graded plate are satisfied and no correction factor is required. Various types of functionally graded material sandwich plates are considered. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived using the principle of virtual displacements. Numerical examples, selected from the literature, are illustrated. A good agreement is obtained between numerical results of the refined theory and the reference solutions. A parametric study is presented to examine the effect of the material gradation and elastic foundation on the deflections and stresses of functionally graded sandwich plate resting on elastic foundation subjected to thermo-mechanical loading.