Free vibrations of AFG cantilever tapered beams carrying attached masses

The free transverse vibrations of axially functionally graded (AFG) cantilever beams with concentrated masses attached at different points are studied in this paper. The material properties of the AFG beam, consisting of metal and ceramic, vary continuously in the axial direction according to an established law form. Approximated solutions for the title problem are obtained by means of the Ritz Method. The influence of the material variation on the natural frequencies of vibration of the functionally graded beam is investigated and compared with the influence of the variation of the cross section. The phenomenon of dynamic stiffening of beams can be observed in various situations. The accuracy of the procedure is verified through results available in the literature that can be represented by the model under study.