Smart Functionally Graded Plates: Vibration Analysis of FGM Plates Coupled with Piezoelectric Layers

The laminated composite structures can be tailored to design advanced structures, but the sharp change in the properties of each layer at the interface between two adjacent layers causes large inter-laminar shear stresses that may eventually give rise to well known phenomenon known as delamination. Such detrimental effects can be mitigated by grading the properties in a continuous manner across the thickness direction resulting in a new class of materials known as ‘functionally graded materials’ (FGMs). This book presents a non-linear dynamics and vibration analysis on functionally graded circular and annular plates that are bonded with piezoelectric actuator layers considering the implications of thermal effects on piezoelectric behaviour of the coupled structure.