Free Vibration Analysis of Functionally Graded Beams with General Elastically End Constraints by DTM

The differential transformation method (DTM) is applied to investigate free vibration of functionally graded beams supported by arbitrary boundary conditions, including various types of elastically end constraints. The material properties of functionally graded beams are assumed to obey the power law distribution. The main advantages of this method are known for its excellence in high accuracy with small computational expensiveness. The DTM also provides all natural frequencies and mode shapes without any frequency missing. Fundamental frequencies as well as their higher frequencies and mode shapes are presented. The significant aspects such as boundary conditions, values of translational and rotational spring constants and the material volume fraction index on the natural frequencies and mode shapes are discussed. For elastically end constraints, some available results of special cases for isotropic beams are used to validate the present results. The new frequency results and mode shapes of functionally graded beams resting on elastically end constraints are presented.