Large displacement response of tapered cantilever beams made of axially functionally graded material

The large displacement response of tapered cantilever beams made of axially functionally graded material is investigated by the finite element method. A co-rotational beam element taking the effects of the material inhomogeneity, shear deformation and nonuniform cross section into account is formulated and employed in computing the response of the beams. The numerical results show that the large displacement response of the beam is governed by the material distribution, the taper ratio and taper type. The axial displacement at the free end of the beam is most sensitive to the taper ratio, and the transverse displacement at the point is least affected by this parameter. The influence of the length to height ratio is also investigated and highlighted.