Analysis of Even and Uneven Functionally Graded Sandwich Plates with Geometric Distortions under Hygro-Thermo-Mechanical Loading

Functionally Graded Materials have wide applications in aerospace and space wherein the material is susceptible to environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture, which can be a reason for its failure. This study aims to analyze even and uneven functionally graded sandwich plates with geometric distortions under hygro-thermo-mechanical loading. A theoretical formulation based on Higher Order Zig-zag Theory is generated. Finite Element-based coding is developed in MATLAB to obtain dimensionless deflections. The material properties follow power law variation and depend on temperature and moisture conditions. The comparison study indicates the validation of the present findings. The parametric study is presented to study the effect of various geometric distortions, such as sine, global and local distortions, on dimensionless deflections are observed. The influence of various configurations of the plate and volume fraction index is also studied. The current formulation portrays its exceptional capability in projecting the accurate behavior of FG sandwich plates with geometric distortions as it considers the criteria of continuous transverse shear stress at inter-laminar junctions. New findings are put forth for future studies in similar fields. © 2023, The Institution of Engineers (India).