Review of functionally graded materials processed by additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing(AM)technology makes parts through layer-by-layer deposition,which can regulate the microstructure and properties of different parts of a single part well.It provides a new idea for the preparation of functionally gradient materials(FGM),and has become a research hotspot at present.By referring to and analyzing the recent research achievements in the additive manufacturing tech-nology of FGM,the latest research progress at domestic and abroad from four aspects were summaried:selective laser melting additive man-ufacturing,electron beam additive manufacturing,arc additive manufacturing,path planning,and material texture.Moreover,the existing problems in the research are pointed out,and the future research direction and focus are prospected.

Complete solutions for elastic fields induced by point load vector in functionally graded material model with transverse isotropy

The paper develops and examines the complete solutions for the elastic field induced by the point load vector in a general functionally graded material(FGM)model with transverse isotropy.The FGMs are approximated with n-layered materials.Each of the n-layered materials is homogeneous and transversely isotropic.The complete solutions of the displacement and stress fields are explicitly expressed in the forms of fifteen classical Hankel transform integrals with ten kernel functions.The ten kernel functions are explicitly expressed in the forms of backward transfer matrices and have clear mathematical properties.The singular terms of the complete solutions are analytically isolated and expressed in exact closed forms in terms of elementary harmonic functions.Numerical results show that the computation of the complete solutions can be achieved with high accuracy and efficiency.

Dynamic Characteristics of Functionally Graded Timoshenko Beams by Improved Differential Quadrature Method

This study proposes an effective method to enhance the accuracy of the Differential Quadrature Method(DQM)for calculating the dynamic characteristics of functionally graded beams by improving the form of discrete node distribution.Firstly,based on the first-order shear deformation theory,the governing equation of free vibration of a functionally graded beam is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations with respect to beam axial displacement,transverse displacement,and cross-sectional rotation angle by considering the effects of shear deformation and rotational inertia of the beam cross-section.Then,ignoring the shear deformation of the beam section and only considering the effect of the rotational inertia of the section,the governing equation of the beam is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations with respect to beam transverse displacement.Based on the differential quadrature method theory,the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of standard generalized algebraic equations.Finally,the first several natural frequencies of the beam can be calculated.The feasibility and accuracy of the improved DQM are verified using the finite element method(FEM)and combined with the results of relevant literature.

Buckling analysis of functionally graded material(FGM) sandwich truncated conical shells reinforced by FGM stiffeners filled inside by elastic foundations

An analytical solution for buckling of an eccentrically stiffened sandwich truncated conical shell is investigated. The shell consists of two functionally graded material （FGM） coating layers and a core layer which are metal or ceramic subjected to an axial compressive load and an external uniform pressure. Shells are reinforced by stringers and rings, in which the material properties of shells and stiffeners are graded in the thickness direction following a general sigmoid law distribution. Two models of coated shell-stiffener arrangements are investigated. The change of the spacing between stringers in the meridional direction is taken into account. A couple set of three-variable- coefficient partial differential equations in terms of displacement components are solved by the Galerkin method. A closed-form expression for determining the buckling load is obtained. The numerical examples are presented and compared with previous works.

Nonlinear stability of functionally graded material(FGM)sandwich cylindrical shells reinforced by FGM stiffeners in thermal environment

In this paper, Donnell＇s shell theory and smeared stiffeners technique are improved to analyze the postbuckling and buckling behaviors of circular cylindrical shells of stiffened thin functionally graded material （FGM） sandwich under an axial loading on elastic foundations, and the shells are considered in a thermal environment. The shells are stiffened by FGM rings and stringers. A general sigmoid law and a general power law are proposed. Thermal elements of the shells and reinforcement stiffeners are considered. Explicit expressions to find critical loads and postbuckling load-deflection curves are obtained by applying the Galerkin method and choosing the three-term approximate solution of deflection. Numerical results show various effects of temperature, elastic foundation, stiffeners, material and geometrical properties, and the ratio between face sheet thickness and total thickness on the nonlinear behavior of shells.

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded material beams based on Levinson beam theory

Free vibration response of functionally graded material （FGM） beams is studied based on the Levinson beam theory （LBT）. Equations of motion of an FGM beam are derived by directly integrating the stress-form equations of elasticity along the beam depth with the inertial resultant forces related to the included coupling and higherorder shear strain. Assuming harmonic response, governing equations of the free vibration of the FGM beam are reduced to a standard system of second-order ordinary differential equations associated with boundary conditions in terms of shape functions related to axial and transverse displacements and the rotational angle. By a shooting method to solve the two-point boundary value problem of the three coupled ordinary differential equations, free vibration response of thick FGM beams is obtained numerically. Particularly, for a beam with simply supported edges, the natural frequency of an FGM Levinson beam is analytically derived in terms of the natural frequency of a corresponding homogenous Euler-Bernoulli beam. As the material properties are assumed to vary through the depth according to the power-law functions, the numerical results of frequencies are presented to examine the effects of the material gradient parameter, the length-to-depth ratio, and the boundary conditions on the vibration response.

Homogenized and classical expressions for static bending solutions for functionally graded material Levinson beams

The exact relationship between the bending solutions of functionally graded material （FGM） beams based on the Levinson beam theory and those of the correspond- ing homogenous beams based on the classical beam theory is presented for the material properties of the FGM beams changing continuously in the thickness direction. The de- flection, the rotational angle, the bending moment, and the shear force of FGM Levinson beams （FGMLBs） are given analytically in terms of the deflection of the reference ho- mogenous Euler-Bernoulli beams （HEBBs） with the same loading, geometry, and end supports. Consequently, the solution of the bending of non-homogenous Levinson beams can be simplified to the calculation of transition coefficients, which can be easily deter- mined by variation of the gradient of material properties and the geometry of beams. This is because the classical beam theory solutions of homogenous beams can be eas- ily determined or are available in the textbook of material strength under a variety of boundary conditions. As examples, for different end constraints, particular solutions are given for the FGMLBs under specified loadings to illustrate validity of this approach. These analytical solutions can be used as benchmarks to check numerical results in the investigation of static bending of FGM beams based on higher-order shear deformation theories.

The nonlocal solution of two parallel cracks in functionally graded materials subjected to harmonic anti-plane shear waves

In this paper, the dynamic interaction of two parallel cracks in functionally graded materials （FGMs） is investigated by means of the non-local theory. To make the analysis tractable, the shear modulus and the material density are assumed to vary exponentially with the coordinate vertical to the crack. To reduce mathematical difficulties, a one-dimensional non-local kernel is used instead of a twodimensional one for the dynamic problem to obtain stress fields near the crack tips. By use of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations, in which the unknown variables are the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces are expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. Unlike the classical elasticity solutions, it is found that no stress singularity is present at the crack tips. The non-local elastic solutions yield a finite hoop stress at the crack tips. The present result provides theoretical references helpful for evaluating relevant strength and preventing material failure of FGMs with initial cracks. The magnitude of the finite stress field depends on relevant parameters, such as the crack length, the distance between two parallel cracks, the parameter describing the FGMs, the frequency of the incident waves and the lattice parameter of materials.

Free vibration of functionally graded material beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers in thermal environment

Free vibration of statically thermal postbuckled functionally graded material （FGM） beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers subject to both temperature rise and voltage is studied. By accurately considering the axial extension and based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, geometrically nonlinear dynamic governing equations for FGM beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers subject to thermo-electro- mechanical loadings are formulated. It is assumed that the material properties of the middle FGM layer vary continuously as a power law function of the thickness coordinate, and the piezoelectric layers are isotropic and homogenous. By assuming that the amplitude of the beam vibration is small and its response is harmonic, the above mentioned non-linear partial differential equations are reduced to two sets of coupled ordinary differential equations. One is for the postbuckling, and the other is for the linear vibration of the beam superimposed upon the postbuckled configuration. Using a shooting method to solve the two sets of ordinary differential equations with fixed-fixed boundary conditions numerically, the response of postbuckling and free vibration in the vicinity of the postbuckled configuration of the beam with fixed-fixed ends and subject to transversely nonuniform heating and uniform electric field is obtained. Thermo-electric postbuckling equilibrium paths and characteristic curves of the first three natural frequencies versus the temperature, the electricity, and the material gradient parameters are plotted. It is found that the three lowest frequencies of the prebuckled beam decrease with the increase of the temperature, but those of a buckled beam increase monotonically with the temperature rise. The results also show that the tensional force produced in the piezoelectric layers by the voltage can efficiently increase the critical buckling temperature and the natural frequency.

SCATTERING OF HARMONIC ANTI-PLANE SHEAR STRESS WAVES BY A CRACK IN FUNCTIONALLY GRADED PIEZOELECTRIC/PIEZOMAGNETIC MATERIALS

In this paper, the dynamic behavior of a permeable crack in functionally graded piezoelectric/piezomagnetic materials is investigated. To make the analysis tractable, it is assumed that the material properties vary exponentially with the coordinate parallel to the crack. By using the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of a pair of dual integral equations in which the unknown is the jump of displacements across the crack surfaces. These equations are solved to obtain the relations between the electric filed, the magnetic flux field and the dynamic stress field near the crack tips using the Schmidt method. Numerical examples are provided to show the effect of the functionally graded parameter and the circular frequency of the incident waves upon the stress, the electric displacement and the magnetic flux intensity factors of the crack.

Thermo-magnetic analysis of thick-walled spherical pressure vessels made of functionally graded materials

This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressure vessel is subject to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings within a uniform magnetic field. The material properties of the FGM are considered as the power-law distribution along the thickness. Navier’s equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation, is derived from the mechanical equilibrium equation with the consideration of the thermal stresses and the Lorentz force resulting from the magnetic field. The distributions of the displacement, strains, and stresses are determined by the exact solution to Navier’s equation. Numerical results clarify the influence of the thermal loading, magnetic field, non-homogeneity constant, internal pressure, and angular velocity on the magneto-thermo-elastic response of the functionally graded spherical vessel. It is observed that these parameters have remarkable effects on the distributions of radial displacement, radial and circumferential strains, and radial and circumferential stresses.

3D thermally induced analysis of annular plates of functionally graded materials

Within the framework of three-dimensional elasticity theory,this paper investigates the thermal response of functionally graded annular plates in which the material can be transversely isotropic and vary along the thickness direction in an arbitrary manner.The generalized Mian and Spencer method is utilized to obtain the analytical solutions of annular plates under a through-thickness steady temperature field.The present analytical solutions are validated through comparisons against those available in open literature.A parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of gradient distribution,different temperature fields,different diameter ratio and boundary conditions on the deformation and stress fields of the plate.The results show that these factors can have obvious effects on the thermo-elastic behavior of functionally gradient materials(FGM)annular plates.

Development of Mathematical Model on Preparation of Functionally Graded Material by Co-sedimentation

From the process of sedimentation the mathematical relationships among deposition volume and powder properties as well as sedimentation parameters were deduced. Based on the formula a mathematical model was set up and simulated through the computer. At last the validity of mathematical model was supported by the representative experiment on Ti-Mo system FGM prepared by co-sedimentation.

Several three-dimensional solutions for transversely isotropic functionally graded material plate welded with circular inclusion

The problem of a transversely isotropic functionally graded material （FGM） plate welded with a circular inclusion is considered. The analysis starts with the general- ized England-Spencer plate theory for transversely isotropic FGM plates, which expresses a three-dimensional （3D） general solution in terms of four analytic functions. Several analytical solutions are then obtained for an infinite FGM plate welded with a circular inclusion and subjected to the loads at infinity. Three different cases are considered, i.e., a rigid circular inclusion fixed in the space, a rigid circular inclusion rotating about the x-, y-, and z-axes, and an elastic circular inclusion with different material constants from the plate itself. The static responses of the plate and/or the inclusion are investigated through numerical examples.

Natural dynamic characteristics of a circular cylindrical Timoshenko tube made of three-directional functionally graded material

The natural dynamic characteristics of a circular cylindrical tube made of three-directional(3 D)functional graded material(FGM)based on the Timoshenko beam theory are investigated.Hamilton’s principle is utilized to derive the novel motion equations of the tube,considering the interactions among the longitudinal,transverse,and rotation deformations.By dint of the differential quadrature method(DQM),the governing equations are discretized to conduct the analysis of natural dynamic characteristics.The Ritz method,in conjunction with the finite element method(FEM),is introduced to verify the present results.It is found that the asymmetric modes in the tube are controlled by the 3 D FGM,which exhibit more complicated shapes compared with the unidirectional(1 D)and bi-directional(2 D)FGM cases.Numerical examples illustrate the effects of the axial,radial,and circumferential FGM indexes as well as the supported edges on the natural dynamic characteristics in detail.It is notable that the obtained results are beneficial for accurate design of smart structures composed from multi-directional FGM.

Transference of Love-type waves in a bedded structure containing a functionally graded material and a porous piezoelectric medium

The frequency of the Love-type surface waves in a bedded structure con- sisting of a porous piezoelectric (PP) medium and a functionally graded material (FGM) substrate is approximated. The FGM layer is assumed to have a constant initial stress. The Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation technique is used for the wave solution in the FGM layer, and the method of separation of variables is applied for the solution in the porous piezoelectric medium. The dependence of the wave frequency on the wave number is obtained for both electrically open and short cases. The effects of the gradient coefficient of the FGM layer, the initial stresses (tensile stress and compressive stress), and the width of the FGM layer are marked distinctly and shown graphically. The findings may contribute towards the design and optimization of acoustic wave devices.

Nonlocal thermoelastic analysis of a functionally graded material microbeam

In extreme heat transfer environments, functionally graded materials(FGMs)have aroused great concern due to the excellent thermal shock resistance. With the development of micro-scale devices, the size-dependent effect has become an important issue. However, the classical continuum mechanical model fails on the micro-scale due to the influence of the size-dependent effect. Meanwhile, for thermoelastic behaviors limited to small-scale problems, Fourier's heat conduction law cannot explain the thermal wave effect. In order to capture the size-dependent effect and the thermal wave effect, the nonlocal generalized thermoelastic theory for the formulation of an FGM microbeam is adopted in the present work. For numerical validation, the transient responses for a simply supported FGM microbeam heated by the ramp-type heating are considered.The governing equations are formulated and solved by employing the Laplace transform techniques. In the numerical results, the effects of the ramp-heating time parameter, the nonlocal parameter, and the power-law index on the considered physical quantities are presented and discussed in detail.

Optimum Weight Design of Functionally Graded Material Gears

Traditional gear weight optimization methods consider gear tooth number, module, face width or other dimension parameters of gear as design variables. However, due to the complicated form and geometric features peculiar to the gear, there will be large amounts of design parameters in gear design, and the influences of gear parameters changing on gear trains, transmission system and the whole equipment have to be taken into account, which increases the complexity of optimization problem. This paper puts forward to apply functionally graded materials（FGMs） to gears and then conduct the optimization. According to the force situation of gears, the material distribution form of FGM gears is determined. Then based on the performance parameters analysis of FGMs and the practical working demands for gears, a multi-objective optimization model is formed. Finally by using the goal driven optimization（GDO） method, the optimal material distribution is achieved, which makes gear weight and the maximum deformation be minimum and the maximum bending stress do not exceed the allowable stress. As an example, the applying of FGM to automotive transmission gear is conducted to illustrate the optimization design process and the result shows that under the condition of keeping the normal working performance of gear, the method achieves in greatly reducing the gear weight. This research proposes a FGM gears design method that is able to largely reduce the weight of gears by optimizing the microscopic material parameters instead of changing the macroscopic dimension parameters of gears, which reduces the complexity of gear weight optimization problem.

Fabrication and Microstructure of W/Cu Functionally Graded Material

W/Cu functionally gradient material (FGM) has excellent mechanical properties since it can effectively relax interlayer thermal stresses caused by the mismatch between their thermal expansion coefficients. W/Cu FGM combines the advantages of tungsten such as high melting point and service strength, with heat conductivity and plasticity of copper at room temperature. Thus it demonstrates satisfactory heat corrosion and thermal shock resistance and will be a promising candidate as divertor component in thermonuclear device. Owing to the dramatic difference of melting point between tungsten and copper, conventional processes meet great difficulties in fabricating this kind of FGMs. A new approach termed graded sintering under ultra-high pressure (GSUHP) is proposed, with which a near 96% relative density of W/Cu FGM that contains a full distribution spectrum (0-100%W) has been successfully fabricated. Suitable amount of transition metals (such as nickel, zirconium, vanadium) is employed as additives to activate tungsten's sintering, enhance phase wettability and bonding strength between W and Cu. Densification effects of different layer of FGM were investigated. Microstructure morphology and interface elements distribution were observed and analyzed. The thermal shock performance of W/Cu FGM was also preliminarily tested.

Pure bending of simply supported circular plate of transversely isotropic functionally graded material

This paper considers the pure bending problem of simply supported transversely isotropic circular plates with elastic compliance coefficients being arbitrary functions of the thickness coordinate. First, the partial differential equation, which is satisfied by the stress functions for the axisymmetric deformation problem is derived. Then, stress functions are obtained by proper manipulation. The analytical expressions of axial force, bending moment and displacements are then deduced through integration. And then, stress functions are employed to solve problems of transversely isotropic functionally graded circular plate, with the integral constants completely determined from boundary conditions. An elasticity solution for pure bending problem, which coincides with the available solution when degenerated into the elasticity solutions for homogenous circular plate, is thus obtained. A numerical example is finally presented to show the effect of material inhomogeneity on the elastic field in a simply supported circular plate of transversely isotropic functionally graded material (FGM).