Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Applied Mathematical Modelling

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apm

Free vibration characteristics of a functionally graded beam by nite

element method
Amal E. Alshorbagy, M.A. Eltaher *, F.F. Mahmoud
Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 20 March 2010
Received in revised form 10 June 2010
Accepted 5 July 2010
Available online 27 July 2010
Keywords:
FG beam
EulerBernoulli beam
Free vibration
Finite element

a b s t r a c t
This paper presents the dynamic characteristics of functionally graded beam with material
graduation in axially or transversally through the thickness based on the power law. The
present model is more effective for replacing the non-uniform geometrical beam with axially or transversally uniform geometrical graded beam. The system of equations of motion
is derived by using the principle of virtual work under the assumptions of the EulerBernoulli beam theory. The nite element method is employed to discretize the model and
obtain a numerical approximation of the motion equation. The model has been veried
with the previously published works and found a good agreement with them. Numerical
results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms to gure out the effects of different material distribution, slenderness ratios, and boundary conditions on the dynamic
characteristics of the beam. The above mention effects play very important role on the
dynamic behavior of the beam.
2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Recently, a new class of composite materials known as functionally graded materials (FGMs) has drawn considerable
attention. This material is a type of material whose composition designed to change continuously within the solid. The gradient compositional variation of the constituents from one surface to the other provides an elegant solution to the problem
of high transverse shear stresses that are induced when two dissimilar materials with large difference in material properties
are bonded. The FGM concept originated in Japan in 1984 during the space-plane project, in the form of a proposed thermal
barrier material capable of withstanding a surface temperature of 2000 K and a temperature gradient of 1000 K across a
cross-section <10 mm [1]. Since FG beams are used in aerospace, automotive industries and machine elements, understanding their dynamic behavior is important. Compared with FG plates and shells, studies for FG beams are relatively less [2].
Cheng and Batra [3] exploited Reddys third-order plate theory to study buckling and steady state vibrations of a simply
supported functionally gradient isotropic polygonal plate resting on a Winkler Pasternak elastic foundation and subjected to
uniform in-plane hydrostatic loads. Sankar [4] presented an elasticity solution for simply supported FG beams subjected to
sinusoidal transverse loading. The Youngs modulus is assumed to vary in an exponential fashion through the thickness. Snakar found when the softer side is loaded; the stress concentrations are less than that in a homogeneous beam, and the reverse is true when the harder side is loaded. Chakraborty et al. [5] developed a new beam element to study the thermoelastic
behavior of functionally graded beam structures. The element is based on the rst-order shear deformation theory and it
accounts for varying elastic and thermal properties along its thickness. Both exponential and power-law variations of material property distribution are used to examine different stress variations. Static, free vibration and wave propagation

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +20 101089561.

E-mail address: mmeltaher@zu.edu.eg (M.A. Eltaher).
0307-904X/$ - see front matter 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.apm.2010.07.006

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

413

problems are considered. Goupee and Senthil [6] proposed a genetic algorithm methodology to optimize the natural frequencies of functionally graded structures by tailoring their material distribution for three model problems. In the rst problem, the material distributions that maximize each of the rst three natural frequencies of a functionally graded beam were
required. The goal of the second model problem was to minimize the mass of a functionally graded beam while constraining
its natural frequencies to lie outside certain prescribed frequency bands. The last problem aimed to minimize the mass of a
functionally graded beam by simultaneously optimizing its thickness and material distribution such that the fundamental
frequency is greater than a prescribed value. Aydogdu and Taskin [2] investigated analytically free vibration of simply supported FG beam. Youngs modulus of beam varies in the thickness direction according to power law and exponential law. It is
found that classical beam theory (CBT) gives higher results and difference between CBT and higher order theories is increasing with increasing mode number.
Semi-analytical elasticity solutions for static bending and thermal deformation of bi-directional FG beams are presented
using a hybrid state space-based differential quadrature method by Lu et al. [7]. The results illustrated the ability of the bidirectional functionally graded properties along the axial direction to reduce thermal stresses instead of the conventional
unidirectional functionally graded materials. Li [8] presented a new unied approach for analyzing the static and dynamic
behaviors of functionally graded beams (FGB) with the rotary inertia and shear deformation. The Timoshenko beam theory is
extended to treat FGB as well as layered beams. Different from previous approaches, a single fourth-order partial differential
equation has been derived. Xiang and Yang [9] investigated free and forced vibration of a thermally prestressed, laminated
functionally graded beam of variable thickness using the Timoshenko beam theory and the differential quadrature method. It
is shown that the use of thicker FGM layers with a smaller volume fraction index in the laminated beam structure effectively
increases natural frequencies and lowers the vibration amplitude. Ying et al. [10] presented two-dimensional elasticity solutions for bending and free vibration of functionally graded beams resting on WinklerPasternak elastic foundations. Trigonometric series are adopted for the fully simply-supported beams to transform the partial differential state equation into an
ordinary one, thus making exact solutions possible. A third-order zigzag theory based model for layered functionally graded
beams in conjunction with the modied rule of mixtures (MROM) for effective modulus of elasticity is validated through
experiments for static and free vibration response by Kapuria et al. [11]. This study demonstrated the capability of the zigzag
theory in accurately modelling the mechanics of layered beams with the ceramic content.
Piovan and Sampoia [12] studied the dynamic behavior of rotating beams made of functionally graded materials. The
model has been deduced employing a formulation accounting for shear-deformability and nonlinear straindisplacements
relationships. The inuence of the graded properties in the damping effects and geometric stiffening of the rotating beam
by using the nite element method are gured out. Sina et al. [13] developed a new beam theory used to analyze free vibration of functionally graded beams. The beam properties are assumed to be varied through the thickness following a simple
power law distribution. The results showed that the new theory is a little different in natural frequency from the traditional
rst-order shear deformation beam theory and the mode shapes of the two methods are coincidental. Oyekoya et al. [14]
exploited Mindlin-type element and Reissner-type element for the modelling of FG composite plate subjected to buckling
and free vibration. Vibration and buckling analysis were then undertaken for different ber distribution cases and the effects
of ber distribution were studied. Simsek and Kocaturk [15] analyzed free vibration characteristics and the dynamic behavior of a FG simply-supported beam under a concentrated moving harmonic load. The system of equations of motion is derived by using Lagranges equations under the assumptions of the EulerBernoulli beam theory. It is observed that, the
effects of the different material distribution, velocity of the moving harmonic load, the excitation frequency on the dynamic
responses of the FG beam play very important role on the dynamic behavior of the FG beam.
Simsek [16] investigated dynamic behavior of a functionally graded beam under a moving mass is within the framework
of EulerBernoulli, Timoshenko and the third-order shear deformation beam theories. Malekzadeh et al. [17] developed a
formulation for the out-of-plane free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) circular curved beams in thermal environment. The formulation is based on the rst-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The material properties are assumed
to be temperature dependent and graded in the direction normal to the plane of the beam curvature. It was shown that the
temperature dependence of the material properties has signicant effects on the natural frequency parameters. Ke et al. [18]
investigates the nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by single-walled carbon
nanotubes (SWCNTs) based on Timoshenko beam theory and von Karman geometric nonlinearity. The material properties
of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTRCs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction and estimated though the rule of mixture. Results showed that; an increase in CNT volume fraction leads to higher linear
and nonlinear frequencies for both uniform distribution and FG-CNTRC beams. Both linear and nonlinear frequencies of FGCNTRC beam with symmetrical distribution of CNTs are higher than those of beams with uniform or unsymmetrical distribution of CNTs. Huang and Li [19] studied free vibration of axially functionally graded beams with non-uniform cross-section. They transformed the governing equation with varying coefcients to Fredholm integral equations to nd the natural
frequencies of beams with variable exural rigidity and mass density.
In the present study, the free vibration analysis of FG beams is investigated using numerical nite element method. The
equations of motion of FG beams are derived using EulerBernoulli beam theory and virtual work principle. The material
constituents of beams assumed to be varying through the thickness or longitudinal directions according to a simple power
law. The present model is effective for comparing the tapered beam of linearly variable width or depth and graded beams of
special polynomial non-homogeneity. Finally, the effects of various boundary conditions (BCs), power-exponent index and
beams slenderness ratio are investigated.

414

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

2. The mathematical model formulation

A functionally graded simply-supported beam of length L, width b, thickness h, with co-ordinate system (Oxyz) having the
origin O is shown In Fig. 1.
2.1. Material properties
In this study, it is assumed that the material properties of the beam such as, Youngs modulus E and mass density q vary
continuously according to power-law form.
(a) If the material properties varied through the beam thickness as shown in Fig. 2, they can be described by a simple
power law distribution [15] as follow:


k
z 1
Pz PU  PL
PL ;
h 2

x
I
L
Fig. 1. A functionally graded simply-supported beam.

0.5

0.5

k=10

k=10
0.25

k=5
0.25

k=5

k=2

k=1

z/h

z/h

k=2

k=1

k=0.5
k=0.2

k=0.2
-0.25

-0.25

k=0.1

k=0.1
-0.5

k=0.5

2.25

2.5

2.75

3
3.25
E(GPa)

3.5

3.75

-0.5

4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000

(kg/m3)

Fig. 2. The variation of Youngs modulus and the mass density through the thickness direction of the beam.

8000

k=0.2

3.5

k=0.5

3.25

k=1
3

k=2

2.75

k=10
k=5

7000
(kg/m 3)

E (GPa)

7500

k=0.1

3.75

6500

k=2
k=1

6000

k=0.2

5000

2.5

k=5

4500

k=10

2.25

k=0.5

5500

k=0.1

4000
2
0

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normilazed beam length

0.2

0.4
0.6
Normilazed beam length

Fig. 3. The variation of Youngs modulus and the mass density through the axial direction of the beam.

0.8

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

415

where PU an PL are the corresponding material properties of the upper and the lower surfaces of the beam, and k is the
non-negative power-law exponent which dictates the material variation prole through the thickness of the beam.
(b) If the material properties varied through the beam axis as presented in Fig. 3, the material characteristics can be
assumed to be varied also a power law distribution as:


xk
Pz PL  PR 1 
PR ;
L

where PR and PL are the corresponding material properties of the right and the left side of the beam, and k is the nonnegative power-law exponent which dictates the material variation prole through the axis of the beam.
2.2. The conditions of geometric t
Based on the EulerBernoulli beam theory, the axial displacement u and the transverse displacement of any point of the
beam, w, are given by [15]

ux; z; t uo x; t  z

@wo x; t
;
@x

Wx; z; t wo x; t;

where uo and wo are the axial and the transverse displacement of any point on the mid-plane, and t denotes time. Eqs. (3) and
(4) can be rewritten as


fds g

u
w

8
9
u0 >
>
<
=
1 0 z
w0 ;

0 1 0 >
: @w0 >
;


@x

where ds is the displacement vector. By assuming the small deformations, the displacementstrain relation can be represented by

exx

@u @u0 x; t
@ 2 w0 x; t

z
@x
@x
@x2

6a

or

exx 1 z 

@u0
@x
@ 2 w0
@x2

)
6b

where exx is the normal strain in the x-direction.

2.3. The material law
Considering the material of FGM beam obeys Hookes law, the strainstress constitutive equation can be written as
following:

rxx Ezexx Ez 1 z 

@u0
@x
@ 2 w0
@x2

)
;

when the variation of the Youngs modulus through the thickness direction

rxx Exexx Ex 1 z 

@u0
@x
@ 2 w0
@x2

)
;

when the variation of the Youngs modulus through the axial direction.
2.4. The condition of equilibrium
The condition of equilibrium of dynamical structural for free vibration based on the principle of virtual work stated that
[20],

dW s  dW I 0;

where dWS is the virtual work done by a stress eld r on a virtual stain eld e is equal to

dW s

ZZZ

rT de dx dy dz:
v

10

416

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Fig. 4. Beam element.

By substituting Eqs. (6), and (7) or (8) into Eq. (10), yields

dW s b

@uo
@x

@ 2 wo
@x2

"
o Z

h
2

2h

zE

zE

z2 E

# ( @u0 )
@x
dz d @ 2 w dx:

11

@x2

The virtual work done the inertia forces through the virtual displacement eld can be presented as

ZZZ
dW I 
qds dds dx dy dz:

12

By substituting Eq. (5), into Eq. (9) yields

dW I b

u_ 0

_0
w

9
3 3 8
_
qz
>
< u0 >
=
6
7
_ 0 dx:
q 0 7
4 0
5dz5d w
>
2h
: @ w_ 0 >
;
qz 0 qz2
@x

2
o Z
_
@ wo 6
4
@x

h
2

13

3. Finite element formulation

The displacement components at the mid-plane of a beam element shown in Fig. 4 can be categorized into the following:
In-plane components
e

U 0 x; t N3i2 U i t N3j2 U j t:

14

Transverse components
e

w0 x; t N3i1 W i t N3i hi t N3j1 W j t N 3j hj t;

15

where Ui, Wi and hi are in plane displacement, transverse displacement and slope at the nodal, respectively. Ns are the shape
functions, which are presented in Appendix. By substituting Eqs. (14) and (15) into Eqs. (11) and (13), then substituting into
Eq. (9) and integrate over domain we nd the following equation of motion:

s kds 0;
Md

16

where M is the global mass-matrix of beam and K is the global stiffness matrix of beam, which are dened in Appendix.
4. Numerical results
This section divided mainly to two subsections; one for that the material properties of the beam vary continuously in the
thickness direction and the other is devoted to material properties is changed continuously in axial direction of the beam.
Functionally graded material (FGM) of the beam is composed of steel and alumina (Al2O3) and its properties vary according
to power-law. Therefore, the bottom surface of the beam is pure steel, whereas the top surface of the beam is pure alumina in
case of variation through thickness. If the variation through the axial direction, the right side is pure steel and left side is pure
alumina. The material properties of steel an alumina are given in Table 1.
The parameters of the beam are: b (width) = 0.4 m and L (length) = 20 m. The non-dimensional quantities used here are

x
x ;
L

Eratio

Eu
;
El

q
qratio u
ql

s
ql A
;
and k xL
El I
2

where I = bh3/12 is the moment of inertia of the cross-section of the beam. In the free vibration analysis, the dimensionless
frequencies of the beam are calculated and given in tabular form for different material distribution, the ratio of the Youngs
Table 1
Material properties of FGM constituents.
Properties

Unit

Steel

Alumina (Al2O3)

GPa
Kg/m3

210
7800

390
3960

417

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

modulus, and the slenderness ratio. The mode shapes are given in graphical form for each case. The beam is simply supported through analysis.
4.1. FGM through thickness direction
This section is devoted mainly to the FG beam with continuously variation through the thickness direction to verify the
present proposed model. The effects of variation of Youngs modulus, material distributions, non-negative power-law exponent and slenderness ratio on the fundamental frequencies are illustrated.
4.1.1. The effect of Youngs modulus variation
The effects of Young modulus ratios, slenderness ratios, and non-negative power-law exponent on the rst three dimensionless frequencies are presented in Tables 24. It can be observed that, the natural frequencies increase with an increase in
power exponent (when Eratio < 1), and decrease with an increase in power exponent (when Eratio > 1). For a constant power
exponent, an increase in Eratio causes the increase in fundamental frequencies. No signicant variation on the frequencies
with respect to variation in slenderness ratio. Comparison between proposed model and published work is presented also
in Table 2. It can be concluded that; the present results agree reasonably well with the published work.
The variation of the rst frequency with the variation of Eratio and power exponent (k) is shown in Fig. 5, which illustrates
that the variation of the Eratio is more effective on the frequency than the variation in power exponent (k).
The rst three dimensionless mode shapes are illustrated in Figs. 68. As expected no effect on dimensionless mode
shapes with respect to variation in Eratio, power exponent, or slenderness ratio because no change in material properties
through the axial direction. The slenderness has not effect on the frequencies due to the proposed model (Euler beam) which
assumed no shear effect that play a vital role in the variation of frequencies for thick beam (small slenderness ratio). To point
out the effect of slenderness ratio, the higher-order shear deformation or Timoshenko beam theory should be developed.

Table 2
The rst dimensionless frequency parameters k1 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h
20

100

Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]
Present
[15]

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

0.25

2.2203
2.2203
2.6404
2.6403
3.14
3.1399
3.7341
3.734
4.4406
4.4406

2.3746
2.3739
2.7107
2.7104
3.14
3.1399
3.6773
3.6775
4.3366
4.3370

2.4614
2.4606
2.7576
2.7573
3.14
3.1399
3.63
3.6301
4.2455
4.2459

2.5979

2.7041
2.7035
2.8946
2.8944
3.14
3.1399
3.4423
3.4421
3.8241
3.8234

2.8057
2.8053
2.9461
2.9459
3.14
3.1399
3.3768
3.3765
3.6496
3.6485

2.9302

3.0085
3.0084
3.0563
3.0562
3.14
3.1399
3.2726
3.2725
3.4549
3.4543

2.2214
2.2213
2.6417
2.6416
3.1415
3.1415
3.7359
3.7359
4.4428
4.4427

2.3798
2.3752
2.7121
2.7117
3.1415
3.1415
3.6791
3.6793
4.3388
4.3392

2.4683
2.4621
2.759
2.7587
3.1415
3.1415
3.6317
3.632
4.2476
4.2481

2.7159
2.7053
2.8961
2.896
3.1415
3.1415
3.444
3.444
3.826
3.8259

2.8071
2.8071
2.9476
2.9475
3.1415
3.1415
3.3784
3.3784
3.6514
3.6513

0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0
0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

2.8363
3.14
3.5296
4.0346
2.6074
2.8377
3.1415
3.5313
4.0366

3.011
3.14
3.3196
3.5326
2.9317
3.0125
3.1415
3.3213
3.5343

3.01
3.01
3.0578
3.0578
3.1415
3.1415
3.2743
3.2742
3.4566
3.4565

Table 3
The second dimensionless frequency parameters k2 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

4.4338
5.2727
6.2703
7.4567
8.8676

4.7419
5.4132
6.2703
7.3432
8.6599

4.9152
5.5068
6.2703
7.2488
8.478

5.1877
5.6638
6.2703
7.0483
8.0567

5.3997
5.7804
6.2703
6.874
7.6363

5.6028
5.8832
6.2703
6.7431
7.2877

5.8514
6.0128
6.2703
6.6291
7.0541

6.0078
6.1032
6.2703
6.5352
6.8991

100

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

4.4425
5.2831
6.2827
7.4714
8.885

4.7592
5.4238
6.2827
7.3577
8.677

4.9362
5.5176
6.2827
7.263
8.4947

5.2145
5.675
6.2827
7.0622
8.0726

5.4314
5.7918
6.2827
6.8876
7.6515

5.6139
5.8948
6.2827
6.7564
7.3023

5.8629
6.0246
6.2827
6.6421
7.0683

6.0196
6.1152
6.2827
6.5481
6.9128

418

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Table 4
The third dimensionless frequency parameters k3 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

6.6338
7.889
9.3817
11.157
13.268

7.0947
8.0991
9.3817
10.987
12.957

7.3537
8.2392
9.3817
10.846
12.685

7.7611
8.474
9.3817
10.546
12.054

8.0783
8.6483
9.3817
10.285
11.424

8.3823
8.8022
9.3817
10.089
10.902

8.7546
8.9962
9.3817
9.9182
10.553

8.9888
9.1316
9.3817
9.7779
10.322

100

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

6.6631
7.9238
9.423
11.206
13.326

7.1381
8.1349
9.423
11.035
13.014

7.4036
8.2756
9.423
10.893
12.741

7.8209
8.5116
9.423
10.592
12.108

8.1462
8.6868
9.423
10.33
11.476

8.4199
8.8413
9.423
10.134
10.952

8.7935
9.036
9.423
9.9622
10.601

9.0285
9.1719
9.423
9.8212
10.368

Normalized deflection and slope

Fig. 5. Variation of the rst dimensionless frequency with respect to Eratio and k.

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

st

1 Mode
Deflection
Slope

0.2

0.4
0.6
Normalized beam length

0.8

Fig. 6. The normalized rst mode shape for material variation through thickness.

4.1.2. The effect of material distribution

Results are obtained for an FG beam constructed from steel and alumina according to power-law. The rst ve nondimensional frequencies for different slenderness ratios and power exponent are given in Table 5. Fig. 9 shows the effect
of the variation of power-law exponent on the fundamental frequency of the beam. It is seen that, when the power exponent

419

Normalized deflection and slope

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

2nd Mode
Deflection
Slope

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normalized beam length

Normalized deflection and slope

Fig. 7. The normalized second mode shape for material variation through thickness.

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

3nd Mode
Deflection
Slope

0.2

0.4
0.6
Normalized beam length

0.8

Fig. 8. The normalized third mode shape for material variation through thickness.

Table 5
The variation of non-dimensional frequency for different material distributions and slenderness ratios.
L/h

ki

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3425
8.6716
12.975
17.239
21.453

4.2817
8.5503
12.793
16.997
21.153

4.2315
8.45
12.643
16.798
20.904

4.1262
8.2397
12.328
16.379
20.382

4.0359
8.0595
12.058
16.02
19.934

3.9684
7.9245
11.856
15.752
19.599

3.9075
7.803
11.675
15.511
19.301

3.8572
7.7026
11.525
15.312
19.054

50

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3444
8.6866
13.025
17.356
21.679

4.2836
8.565
12.842
17.113
21.376

4.2333
8.4646
12.692
16.912
21.125

4.1279
8.2539
12.376
16.491
20.599

4.0377
8.0734
12.105
16.131
20.148

3.9701
7.9382
11.902
15.861
19.811

3.9092
7.8165
11.72
15.617
19.507

3.8589
7.7159
11.569
15.417
19.256

100

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3446
8.6887
13.032
17.373
21.712

4.2838
8.5671
12.849
17.13
21.409

4.2336
8.4666
12.699
16.929
21.157

4.1282
8.2559
12.383
16.508
20.631

4.0379
8.0754
12.112
16.147
20.18

3.9703
7.9402
11.909
15.876
19.842

3.9094
7.8184
11.726
15.633
19.537

3.8591
7.7178
11.575
15.432
19.286

k, starts to deviate from zero and it grows up, the beam deviates from pure alumina to steel. This deviation causes reduction
in the non-dimensional frequency. The nonlinear diminishing occurs in frequency when k increased from 0 to 2 and the linear reduction occurs when k is increased from 2 to 10 as shown in Fig. 9. The present result is conformable with the previous
example where Eratio > 1. It is notably that, the change in dimensionless frequency with respect to slenderness ratio is

420

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Nondimensional Frequency (1)

4.4
4.3
4.2
4.1
4
3.9
3.8
0

4
6
Power-exponent (k)

10

Fig. 9. Variation of the rst nondimensisnal frequency with the power-law exponent (k).

Table 6
The rst dimensionless frequency parameters k1 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

2.2203
2.6404
3.14
3.7341
4.4406

2.3285
2.6868
3.14
3.6988
4.3768

2.4106
2.7258
3.14
3.6653
4.3144

2.5821
2.8148
3.14
3.5758
4.1387

2.7533
2.9104
3.14
3.4611
3.8937

2.9278
3.0122
3.14
3.3244
3.5795

3.0834
3.1052
3.14
3.1923
3.2668

3.1265
3.1316
3.14
3.1531
3.1726

100

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

2.2214
2.6417
3.1415
3.7359
4.4428

2.3297
2.6881
3.1415
3.7006
4.3789

2.4118
2.7271
3.1415
3.6671
4.3166

2.5834
2.8162
3.1415
3.5775
4.1408

2.7546
2.9119
3.1415
3.4628
3.8957

2.9293
3.0137
3.1415
3.326
3.5812

3.0849
3.1067
3.1415
3.1939
3.2684

3.1281
3.1332
3.1415
3.1547
3.1742

Table 7
The second dimensionless frequency parameters k2 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

4.4338
5.2727
6.2703
7.4567
8.8676

4.6693
5.3752
6.2703
7.3774
8.7236

4.8374
5.4573
6.2703
7.3039
8.5853

5.1675
5.6327
6.2703
7.1176
8.2113

5.473
5.8048
6.2703
6.9031
7.7399

5.7674
5.9739
6.2703
6.6783
7.2209

6.0636
6.1459
6.2703
6.4483
6.6902

6.1987
6.2263
6.2703
6.3365
6.4302

100

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

4.4425
5.2831
6.2827
7.4714
8.885

4.6785
5.3858
6.2827
7.3919
8.7407

4.847
5.4681
6.2827
7.3183
8.6022

5.1778
5.6438
6.2827
7.1316
8.2276

5.484
5.8162
6.2827
6.9167
7.7555

5.7789
5.9858
6.2827
6.6915
7.2356

6.0756
6.158
6.2827
6.4611
6.7036

6.2109
6.2386
6.2827
6.349
6.443

Table 8
The third dimensionless frequency parameters k3 for different material distribution (Eratio = Eu/El, qratio = qu/ql = 1).
L/h

Eratio

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

6.6338
7.889
9.3817
11.157
13.268

6.9949
8.0472
9.3817
11.033
13.043

7.247
8.1715
9.3817
10.92
12.829

7.733
8.4317
9.3817
10.638
12.258

8.1753
8.6814
9.3817
10.324
11.562

8.5989
8.9246
9.3817
10.001
10.815

9.0262
9.1708
9.3817
9.6735
10.059

9.2305
9.2901
9.3817
9.5139
9.6942

100

0.25
0.5
1.0
2.0
4.0

6.6631
7.9238
9.423
11.206
13.326

7.0259
8.0827
9.423
11.082
13.101

7.2792
8.2076
9.423
10.968
12.886

7.7678
8.4691
9.423
10.685
12.313

8.2123
8.7199
9.423
10.37
11.614

8.6377
8.9642
9.423
10.045
10.864

9.0664
9.2114
9.423
9.7163
10.105

9.2713
9.3311
9.423
9.5559
9.7373

421

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

k=0.0
k=0.1
k=0.2
k=0.5
k=1
k=2
k=5
k=10

Non-dimensional frequency (1)

4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
0.5

1.5

2
Eratio

2.5

3.5

Fig. 10. Variation of the non-dimensional frequency (k1) with Youngs modulus ratio.

Non-dimensional frequency (1)

4.5
Eratio=4
Eratio=2

Eratio=1
Eratio=0.5
Eratio=0.25

3.5
3
2.5
2
0

4
6
Power exponent (k)

10

Fig. 11. Variation of the non-dimensional frequency (k1) with power exponent (k).

Table 9
The variation of non-dimensional frequency for different material distributions and slenderness ratios.
L/h

ki

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3425
8.6716
12.975
17.239
21.453

4.3047
8.5867
12.842
17.06
21.228

4.2689
8.5084
12.722
16.898
21.024

4.1741
8.3115
12.424
16.501
20.53

4.0537
8.087
12.096
16.069
19.995

3.9113
7.8528
11.759
15.627
19.45

3.7741
7.6132
11.418
15.183
18.901

3.7334
7.4969
11.252
14.971
18.644

50

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3444
8.6866
13.025
17.356
21.679

4.3065
8.6015
12.892
17.176
21.452

4.2708
8.5231
12.771
17.013
21.246

4.1759
8.3259
12.472
16.614
20.747

4.0555
8.101
12.143
16.179
20.207

3.913
7.8664
11.804
15.734
19.656

3.7757
7.6264
11.462
15.286
19.101

3.735
7.5098
11.295
15.073
18.841

100

i=1
i=2
i=3
i=4
i=5

4.3446
8.6887
13.032
17.373
21.712

4.3068
8.6036
12.899
17.193
21.485

4.271
8.5252
12.778
17.029
21.279

4.1761
8.3279
12.479
16.63
20.779

4.0558
8.103
12.149
16.195
20.238

3.9132
7.8684
11.811
15.75
19.686

3.7759
7.6282
11.468
15.302
19.13

3.7353
7.5116
11.301
15.088
18.87

relatively small and approximately neglected for higher slenderness ratio. This results agree very well with analytical solution [13]. Seeing as the material properties are constant through the beam axis, no change occurs in mode shapes and their
proles as presented in Figs. 68.

422

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Table 10
The rst non-dimensional frequency parameters (k1) for different boundary conditions.
L/h

BC

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

SS
CF
FC
CC

4.3425
2.5926
2.5926
6.5373

4.3047
2.5292
2.5855
6.4364

4.2689
2.482
2.5786
6.3673

4.1741
2.3824
2.5586
6.2208

4.0537
2.3007
2.5282
6.087

3.9113
2.247
2.4783
5.9591

3.7741
2.2236
2.3895
5.8315

3.7334
2.2211
2.3263
5.7704

50

SS
CF
FC
CC

4.3444
2.5931
2.5931
6.5408

4.3065
2.5297
2.586
6.4399

4.2708
2.4825
2.5791
6.3707

4.1759
2.3828
2.5591
6.2241

4.0555
2.3012
2.5287
6.0902

3.913
2.2474
2.4789
5.9624

3.7757
2.2241
2.39
5.8348

3.735
2.2216
2.3268
5.7736

100

SS
CF
FC
CC

4.3446
2.5932
2.5932
6.5413

4.3068
2.5298
2.5861
6.4404

4.271
2.4826
2.5792
6.3712

4.1761
2.3829
2.5592
6.2246

4.0558
2.3012
2.5288
6.0907

3.9132
2.2475
2.4789
5.9628

3.7759
2.2241
2.3901
5.8352

3.7353
2.2216
2.3269
5.774

Table 11
The second non-dimensional frequency parameters (k2) for different boundary conditions.
L/h

BC

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

SS
CF
FC
CC

8.6716
6.4808
6.4808
10.835

8.5867
6.372
6.436
10.68

8.5084
6.2948
6.3934
10.572

8.3115
6.1246
6.2792
10.333

8.087
5.9567
6.1312
10.093

7.8528
5.7825
5.9529
9.8504

7.6132
5.6106
5.7831
9.606

7.4969
5.5623
5.7181
9.4992

50

SS
CF
FC
CC

8.6866
6.49
6.49
10.857

8.6015
6.3809
6.4452
10.701

8.5231
6.3034
6.4026
10.593

8.3259
6.1328
6.2884
10.353

8.101
5.9646
6.1404
10.114

7.8664
5.7902
5.962
9.8705

7.6264
5.6183
5.7917
9.6257

7.5098
5.5701
5.7266
9.5187

100

SS
CF
FC
CC

8.6887
6.4913
6.4913
10.86

8.6036
6.3822
6.4465
10.704

8.5252
6.3047
6.404
10.596

8.3279
6.134
6.2898
10.356

8.103
5.9658
6.1417
10.116

7.8684
5.7913
5.9633
9.8734

7.6282
5.6194
5.793
9.6285

7.5116
5.5712
5.7278
9.5215

Table 12
The third non-dimensional frequency parameters(k3) for different boundary conditions.
L/h

BC

K = 0.0

K = 0.1

K = 0.2

K = 0.5

K=1

K=2

K=5

K = 10

20

SS
CF
FC
CC

12.975
10.82
10.82
15.129

12.842
10.661
10.724
14.922

12.722
10.549
10.635
14.776

12.424
10.297
10.407
14.442

12.096
10.038
10.136
14.096

11.759
9.7619
9.8499
13.739

11.418
9.457
9.5908
13.38

11.252
9.323
9.4852
13.226

50

SS
CF
FC
CC

13.025
10.856
10.856
15.194

12.892
10.696
10.761
14.985

12.771
10.584
10.672
14.839

12.472
10.33
10.443
14.504

12.143
10.07
10.172
14.157

11.804
9.793
9.8848
13.798

11.462
9.4875
9.6242
13.439

11.295
9.3536
9.518
13.284

100

SS
CF
FC
CC

13.032
10.861
10.861
15.203

12.899
10.701
10.766
14.995

12.778
10.589
10.677
14.848

12.479
10.335
10.448
14.513

12.149
14.135
10.177
14.166

11.811
9.7975
9.8898
13.807

11.468
9.4919
9.6291
13.447

11.301
9.358
9.5227
13.292

4.2. FGM through axial direction

It is noted that most of the previous analyses are related to FGMs with material properties varying in the thickness direction. However, there are practical occasions which require tailored grading of macroscopic properties in two or three directions [7]. So, this section is concerned with the variation of FG beam through the axial direction.
4.2.1. The effect of Youngs modulus variation
The rst three non-dimensional natural frequencies for the FG beam for modulus ratios, power exponent, and slenderness
ratios are tabulated in Tables 68. The effect of the modulus ratios on the frequency is presented in Fig 10. It is observed that,
the frequency increased signicantly with increasing of modulus ratio especially for small power exponent. On the other
hand, no signicantly changes occur in fundamental frequency for different modulus ratios for higher value of power expo-

423

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

CC
SS
FC
CF

Non-dimensional frequency (1)

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

4
6
Power-exponent (k)

10

Deflection

Slope

1st Mode (CC)

k=0
k=2
0

Normalized deflection and slope

Normalized deflection and slope

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normalized beam Length

Slope

Deflection

1st Mode (FC)

k=0
k=2
0

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normalized beam Length

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

Slope

Deflection

1st Mode (CF)

k=0
k=2
0

Normalized deflection and slope

Normalized deflection and slope

Fig. 12. Variation of the non-dimensional frequency (k1) with power exponent (k) for different BCs.

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normalized beam Length

Deflection

Slope

1st Mode (SS)

k=0
k=2
0

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Normalized beam Length

Fig. 13. Variation of the mode shape with power exponent (k) for different BCs (L/h = 100).

nent. Fig. 11 illustrates the variation in non-dimensional frequency with respect to power exponent. As seen in Fig. 11, the
increase in power exponent causes the increase in frequency for Eratio < 1, the decrease in frequency for Eratio > 1 and no
changes occur for Eratio = 1.
4.2.2. The effect of material distribution
Results are obtained for an FG beam constructed from steel and alumina according to power-law through the axial direction of beam. The rst ve non-dimensional frequencies for different slenderness ratios and power exponent are given in

424

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

Table 9. It is noted that; the increasing in power exponent cause the decrease in the fundamental frequency. This decreasing
due to transition of the beam from alumina which has higher elastic modulus and lower density to steel which has the lower
elastic modulus and higher density. The change of slenderness ratio from 20 to 50 causes the increase of frequency with 4%.
On the other hand, approximately no variation occurs in frequency when the slenderness ratio increased from 50 to 100.
4.2.3. The effect of boundary conditions
The geometry constraints or boundary conditions (BCs) have signicant effects on the dynamic characteristics of the
structures. So, the effects of four different beam constraints on the fundamental frequencies of the FG beam are presented
in Tables 1012. The boundary conditions are clamped-clamped (CC), clamped-free (CF), free-clamped (FC), and simply-simply (SS). Fig. 12 presents decrease in frequencies as k increased for the different (BCs). This reduction in frequencies due to
the increase of steel relative to alumina in the beam constitution. It is also noted, CF and FC have the same frequency only for
k = 0, but have different frequencies for other values of k. Approximately, no signicant effect of the slenderness ratio on the
fundamental frequencies especially at the higher values of L/h.
Non-dimensional mode shapes for the different BCs are presented in Fig. 13 at L/h = 100. It is noted that, the variation of
material distribution (variation of k) along the beam length has signication effects on the mode shapes.
5. Conclusions
Free vibration characteristics and dynamic behavior of a functionally graded beam for different material distributions are
analyzed numerically by nite element method. The equation of motion for free vibration is derived by principle of virtual
work under the assumptions of the EulerBernoulli beam theory. It is assumed that the material properties of the beam vary
continuously through the thickness or axial direction according to power-law form. Numerical comparisons are presented to
validate the convergence and accuracy of the presented model. Numerical results show that:
(1) The variation of material distribution along the axial direction means the variation of the beam stiffness along spatial,
which effects on the frequencies and mode shape. On the other hand, the beam with stiffness along spatial not changed with the variation of material along the thickness. So, the mode shape not varied with in this case.
(2) Slenderness ratio has not effects on the fundamental frequencies or mode shapes. This due to the deciency in Eulerbeam theory for consideration the shear effect, which affects signicant on the frequencies especially for the short
beam. To gure out the effect of slenderness ratio, the other advanced theories such as Timoshenko or Reddy theories
should be considered.
(3) The natural frequencies increase with an increase in power exponent (when Eratio < 1), and decrease with an increase in
power exponent (when Eratio > 1).
Appendix
The shape functions are


x
N3i2 1  ;
 l
1
3
2
N3i1
l  3lx 2x3 ;
l3
 
1
2
2
l x  2lx 2x3 ;
N3i
l2
 x
N3j2
;
l 
1
2
N3j1
3lx  2x3 ;
l3
 
1
2
lx x3 ;
N3j
l2

A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6

where l is the beam element and x is the local co-ordinate of the beam element.
The global stiffness matrix can be depicted by

n
X

K e ;

A7

where n is the total number of discretized elements. The element stiffness matrix is

K e b

Z
0

BT DE B dx;

A8

A.E. Alshorbagy et al. / Applied Mathematical Modelling 35 (2011) 412425

425

where

" dN
B

dx

dN 3j2
dx

d2N 3i1
dx2

d2N 3i
dx2

d2N 3j1
dx2

d2N 3j
dx2

3i2

#
A9

and

DE

h
2

2h

zE

zE

z2 E

dz:

A10

The global mass-matrix is

n
X

M e

A11

and the element stiffness matrix is

Me b

N T DR N dx;

A12

where

N 3i2

6
N6
40

N3j2

N 3i1

N 3i

dN 3i1
dx

dN 3i
dx

d2N3j1
dx2
d2N3j1
dx

d2N3j
dx2
d2N3j
dx

3
7
7
5

A13

and

3
q 0 qz
6
DR
q 0 7
4 0
5dz:
2h
qz 0 qz2
Z

h
2

A14

References
[1] X.L. Chen, K.M. Liew, Buckling of rectangular functionally graded material plates subjected to nonlinearly distributed in-plane edge loads, Smart Mater.
Struct. 13 (2004) 14301437.
[2] M. Aydogdu, V. Taskin, Free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams with simply supported edges, Mater. Des. 28 (2007) 16511656.
[3] Z.Q. Cheng, R.C. Batra, Exact correspondence between eigenvalues of membranes and functionally graded simply supported polygonal plates, J. Sound
Vib. 229 (4) (2000) 879895.
[4] B.V. Sankar, An elasticity solution for functionally graded beams, Compos. Sci. Technol. 61 (2001) 689696.
[5] A. Chakraborty, S. Gopalakrishnan, J.N. Reddy, A new beam nite element for the analysis of functionally graded materials, Int. J. Mech. Sci. 45 (2003)
519539.
[6] A.J. Goupee, S.V. Senthil, Optimization of natural frequencies of bidirectional functionally graded beams, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 32 (2006) 473484.
[7] C.F. Lu, W.Q. Chen, R.Q. Xu, C.W. Lim, Semi-analytical elasticity solutions for bi-directional functionally graded beams, Int. J. Solids Struct. 45 (2008)
258275.
[8] X.-F. Li, A unied approach for analyzing static and dynamic behaviors of functionally graded Timoshenko and EulerBernoulli beams, J. Sound Vib. 318
(2008) 12101229.
[9] H.J. Xiang, J. Yang, Free and forced vibration of a laminated FGM Timoshenko beam of variable thickness under heat conduction, Composites: Part B 39
(2008) 292303.
[10] J. Ying, C.F. Lu, W.Q. Chen, Two-dimensional elasticity solutions for functionally graded beams resting on elastic foundations, Compos. Struct. 84 (2008)
209219.
[11] S. Kapuria, M. Bhattacharyya, A.N. Kumar, Bending and free vibration response of layered functionally graded beams: a theoretical model and its
experimental validation, Compos. Struct. 82 (2008) 340390.
[12] M.T. Piovan, R. Sampoia, A study on the dynamics of rotating beams with functionally graded properties, J. Sound Vib. 327 (2009) 134143.
[13] S.A. Sina, H.M. Navazi, H. Haddadpour, An analytical method for free vibration analysis of functionally graded beams, Mater. Des. 30 (2009) 741747.
[14] O.O. Oyekoya, D.U. Mba, A.M. El-Zafrany, Buckling and vibration analysis of functionally graded composite structures using the nite element method,
Compos. Struct. 89 (2009) 134142.
[15] M. Simsek, T. Kocaturk, Free and forced vibration of a functionally graded beam subjected to a concentrated moving harmonic load, Compos. Struct. 90
(2009) 465473.
[16] M. Simsek, Vibration analysis of a functionally graded beam under a moving mass by using different beam theories, Compos. Struct. 92 (2010) 904
917.
[17] P. Malekzadeh, M.R. Golbahar, M.M. Atashi, Out-of-plane free vibration of functionally graded circular curved beams in thermal environment, Compos.
Struct. 92 (2010) 541552.
[18] L.L. Ke, J. Yang, S. Kitipornchai, Nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams, Compos. Struct. 92
(2010) 676683.
[19] Y. Huang, X.F. Li, A new approach for free vibration of axially functionally graded beams with non-uniform cross-section, J. Sound Vib. 329 (2010)
22912303.
[20] L. Meirovitch, Methods of Analytical Dynamics, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1970.