Three-dimensional static and dynamic analysis of functionally graded elliptical plates, employing graded finite elements

On the basis of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, a graded finite element method capable of modeling static and dynamic behaviors of elliptical plates made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) subjected to uniform pressure is developed. In the present paper, two different material properties distributions are considered. For the dynamic analysis, the effective through-the-thickness continuous material properties distribution of the FGM (which is assumed to be composed of ceramic and metallic constituents) is determined based on Mori–Tanaka homogenization technique. The three-dimensional graded finite element formulation is derived based on the principle of minimum potential energy and Rayleigh Ritz method. To solve the time-dependent equations, Newmark’s direct integration method is employed. To present the efficiency of the present work, several numerical examples are included. Since similar results are not available in the literature, results of the present formulations are verified by comparing them with available ones of a homogenous elliptical plate.