Nonlinear thermoelastic wave propagation in general FGM sandwich rectangular plates

The present work is dedicated to investigating the thermoelastic wave propagation behavior of sandwich rectangular plates (SRP) made of functionally graded material (FGM). The main contribution lies in the partial modification of basic theoretical expressions and solution methods to improve the accuracy of practical system models. An analytical model with three types of general configurations is established. The porosity distribution in FGM layers depends on the degree of mixture of the constituent materials, with the FGM layers without porosity taken as a reference model. The effect of porosity within FGMs is addressed through a refined analytical formulation of material properties, and the temperature-dependent material properties of FGM sandwich structures (FGMSS) maintain continuity through the thickness. This improved framework introduces a porosity function encompassing three distinct structural and geometrical functions: the core-to-thickness ratio (CTR), porosity volume fraction (PVF), and porosity distribution function (PDF). It is worth mentioning that the theoretical expressions maintain good continuity and reliability under the influence of thermal conditions and system parameters of the proposed structures. Furthermore, considering the generation of thermal strain energy (TSE) caused by thermal expansion of the structure in the normal direction, an improved analytical approach for determining TSE in rectangular plate structures is then investigated by introducing the Green's nonlinear strain (GNS). Hamilton's principle is applied to derive the wave motion equations and analytical solutions for the wave dispersion relations are derived. Furthermore, accurate numerical simulation is performed and the solution is verified with data available in published resources. In addition, we present a systematic parametric analysis to examine the effects of porosity, configuration, power-law exponent (PLE), PVF, CTR, temperature, and wave number on the thermoelastic wave propagation behavior of FGMSRP. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.