Thermomechanical bending response of FGM thick plates resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations

The present work deals with the thermomechanical bending response of functionally graded plates resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations. Theoretical formulations are based on a recently developed refined trigonometric shear deformation theory (RTSDT). The theory accounts for trigonometric distribution of transverse shear stress, and satisfies the free transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional trigonometric shear deformation theory, the present refined trigonometric shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns as against five in case of other shear deformation theories. The material properties of the functionally graded plates are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness, according to a simple power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. The elastic foundation is modelled as two-parameter Pasternak foundation. The results of the shear deformation theories are compared together. Numerical examples cover the effects of the gradient index, plate aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio and elastic foundation parameters on the thermomechanical behavior of functionally graded plates. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and efficient in predicting the thermomechanical bending response of functionally graded plates.