An elasticity solution for transversely isotropic, functionally graded circular plates

This article presents a new elasticity solution for transversely isotropic, functionally graded circular plates subject to axisymmetric loads. It is assumed that the material properties vary along the thickness of a circular plate according to an exponential form. By extending the displacement function presented by Plevako to the case of transversely isotropic material, we derived the governing equation of the problem studied. The displacement function was assumed as the sum of the Bessel function and polynomial function to obtain the analytical solution of a transversely isotropic, functionally graded circular plate under different boundary conditions. As a numerical example, the influence of the graded variations of the material properties on the displacements and stresses was studied. The results demonstrate that the graded variations have a significant effect on the mechanical behavior of a circular plate.