Vibroacoustic analysis of stiffened functionally graded panels in thermal environments

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) have gained substantial attention from researchers due to their exceptional strength and thermal resistance. Their utilization in the aviation and automobile industries has significantly improved the efficiency of various structural components. Moreover, stiffened panels find wide applications in aerospace and automobile structures and these panels are frequently exposed to extreme environments. It is from this perspective that our research is focused on analysing the vibroacoustic response of stiffened functionally graded panels subjected to external dynamic excitations in a thermal environment. In the present research work, a finite element model is developed to conduct the dynamic analysis of functionally graded stiffened panels using the first-order shear deformation theory. Subsequently, a boundary element based model is also developed and coupled with the finite element model to investigate the sound radiation behaviour of those panels in a thermal environment. The material properties of FG stiffened panels are considered as temperature dependent, while the thermal environment is assumed to be acting as linearly varying through the panel's thickness. The present investigation aim to compare the vibroacoustic responses of different panels due to stiffener orientations, material compositions, power law indices and plate thicknesses at various temperatures. The research findings highlight the significant impact of addition of stiffeners, its orientation and material compositions on the sound radiation characteristics of these panels under thermal environments. The present numerical model can easily be employed for analysing the sound radiation behaviour of other types of flat or curved stiffened panels having arbitrary geometry and boundary conditions.