Three-dimensional analysis for transient coupled thermoelastic response of a functionally graded rectangular plate

Abstract The generalized coupled thermoelasticity based on the Lord–Shulman theory is considered to study the transient thermoelastic response of functionally graded rectangular plates. The state equations of functionally graded rectangular plate subjected to time-dependent thermal loads were established by using of state space approach, in which three displacement components, three stress components, the temperature and the heat flux were chosen as state variables. By giving simply supported boundary conditions and assuming that the material properties of the plate have an exponential law distribution along the thickness-coordinate, the equations were solved by the numerical Laplace transformations and shooting methods for transient thermal responses of a three dimensional functionally graded rectangular plate due to a thermal shock on its top surface. Effects of the volume fraction distributions of material constituents on the thermal responses, including the temperature change, the displacement and the stresses distributions were investigated.