A Numerical Approach to Predict the Flexural Response of Simply Supported Nonhomogeneous and Non-Slender Graded Beams

In recent years, one promising avenue to optimize material design is the development of functionally graded materials (FGMs), which represent a new generation of composites with tailored mechanical properties. These properties vary continuously according to a function-law, allowing FGMs to mitigate issues like interfacial debonding and stress concentration. Accordingly, this study focuses on simulating the mechanical behavior of simply supported FGM non-slender beams under bending using finite element modeling (FEM). The numerical procedure and the loading setup as well as the implementation the power-law function which governs the stiffness distribution of the used metal and ceramic materials are explicitly presented. In addition, an optimal mesh size is determined for the modeled FGM beams. The numerical results show the effect of material exponent index and beam span ration on displacements and stresses distributions. The validated FEM-tool developed in this work provides a reliable means for estimating the elastic flexural response of non-slender graded beams under bending.