LAUSR

A unified five-degree-of-freedom shear deformation theory is developed for the bending analysis of softcore and hardcore functionally graded sandwich beams and plates. The theory is developed with the inclusion of various shape functions to account for the effect of transverse shear deformation. The governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual work. Sandwich beams and plates have functionally graded skins and two types of homogenous core (softcore and hardcore). The material properties of functionally graded skins are graded through the thickness according to the power-law distribution. Closed-form solutions are obtained for the simply-supported functionally graded sandwich beams and plates using Navier’s solution technique. The non-dimensional numerical values of displacements and stresses are obtained for uniformly distributed loads and various values of the power law index and skin-core-skin thickness ratios. Effects of softcore and hardcore on the non-dimensional displacements and stresses are carefully discussed. It is concluded that the variations in the numerical values of transverse deflection and through-the-thickness distributions of stresses are opposite in nature for softcore and hardcore sandwich beams and plates due to change in material properties.