A New Enhanced First-Order Beam Element Based on Neutral Surface Position for Bending Analysis of Functionally Graded Porous Beams

A new enhanced first-order beam element based on the neutral surface position is developed for bending analysis of the functionally graded porous beams. The proposed beam element is based on the first-order shear deformation theory and the mixed finite element formulation with two nodes per element and three degrees of freedom per node. An assumed transverse shear stress is introduced to enhance the distribution of the transverse shear stress; therefore, the transverse shear stress distributions are parabolic through the thickness of the beams and no shear correction factor is required. No selective or reduced integration is required for calculation of the stiffness matrix of the proposed beam element. The convergence, robustness, and accuracy of the proposed beam element are validated via several examples. The present beam element is applied to study the flexure bending behavior of the functionally graded porous beams. The effects of some parameters such as the length-to-thickness ratio, power-law index, and porosity, on the bending behavior of the functionally graded porous beam are also investigated. © 2022, Shiraz University.