New refined higher-order shear deformation theories for functionally graded plates conforming to graded variations of material properties (Q2134419)

New refined higher-order shear deformation theories (RHSDTs) for functionally graded (FG) plates are proposed. Graded variations of material properties of plates are taken into account. The simplified transverse shear stress expressions with non-differential variables are obtained. Compared with traditional higher-order shear deformation theories (HSDTs), the proposed RHSDTs have advantages in terms of accuracy especially when predicting the transverse shear stress fields in FG plates. Numerical examples demonstrate high accuracy of the present RHSDTs and reflect their advantages over traditional HSDTs. The examples also validate that the proposed RHSDTs have higher accuracy for the prediction of transverse shear stress fields.