Comparison study between layered and functionally graded composite beams for static deflection and stress analyses

The aim of this paper is to compare the static deflections and stress results of layered and functionally graded composite beams under static load. In the comparison study, the results obtained for a cantilever beam under point load. The Timoshenko beam and the Euler-Bernoulli beam theories are used in the beam model. The energy based Ritz method is used for the solution of the problem and algebraic polynomials are used with the trivial functions for the Ritz method. Two different materials are considered as layered and functionally graded distribution in a cantilever beam and their static deflections, stress distributions are compared under a point load at free end of the beam. For two different distributions, the formulations of Ritz method are obtained and solved numerically. In the numerical results, the effects of material distribution parameter, aspect ratio on the static deflections and stress distribution of functionally graded beams are obtained and compared with the results of the layered composite beam. Difference among of beam theories are compared for functionally graded and layered beams. Also, some comparison studies are performed in order to validate the using formulations.