Dynamic Behavior of a Bidirectional Functionally Graded Sandwich Beam under Nonuniform Motion of a Moving Load

A bidirectional functionally graded Sandwich (BFGSW) beam model made from three distinct materials is proposed and its dynamic behavior due to nonuniform motion of a moving point load is investigated for the first time. The beam consists of three layers, a homogeneous core, and two functionally graded face sheets with material properties varying in both the thickness and longitudinal directions by power gradation laws. Based on the first-order shear deformation beam theory, a finite beam element is derived and employed in computing dynamic response of the beam. The element which used the shear correction factor is simple with the stiffness and mass matrices evaluated analytically. The numerical result reveals that the material distribution plays an important role in the dynamic response of the beam, and the beam can be designed to meet the desired dynamic magnification factor by appropriately choosing the material grading indexes. A parametric study is carried out to highlight the effects of the material distribution, the beam layer thickness and aspect ratios, and the moving load speed on the dynamic characteristics. The influence of acceleration and deceleration of the moving load on the dynamic behavior of the beam is also examined and highlighted.