Geometrically non-linear transient thermo-elastic response of FG beams integrated with a pair of FG piezoelectric sensors

Abstract This paper deals with the geometrically non-linear static and dynamic analysis of functionally graded (FG) beams under combined effect of thermal fields and mechanical excitations integrated with a pair of sensor layers for structural monitoring. The sensor layers are considered to be made of the functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) materials. The material properties of the host FG beam and FGP sensors are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a power law distribution. The von Karman type geometric non-linearity and the first-order shear deformation theory are used to formulate the governing equations of motion utilizing the Hamilton principle. The solution of coupled non-linear partial differential equations in spatial and time domains is obtained using the hybrid generalized differential quadrature method–Newmark algorithm–Newton–Raphson iterative scheme. A set of parametric study is conducted to show the influence of geometric non-linearity, material parameters and temperature field on the static and dynamic responses of piezoelectric FG beams subjected to impulsive loads. Due to the absence of similar results in the specialized literature, it is expected that the results of this research will be instrumental toward an optimal design of piezoelectric FG structures for static and dynamic structural health monitoring purpose.