Global dynamics of a functionally graded material rectangular plate

Global dynamics of a simply supported functionally graded materials (FGM) rectangular plate are studied using the extended Melnikov method for the first time. The FGM plate is subjected to the transversal and in-plane excitations. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent. A two degree-of-freedom nonlinear system governing equations of motion for the FGM rectangular plate is derived using the Hamilton´s principle and the Galerkin´s method. The averaged equations are obtained by the method of multiple scales. After transforming the averaged equations into a standard form, the extended Melnikov method is employed to show the existence of multi-pulse chaotic dynamics. Numerical simulations illustrate that there exist chaotic responses for the FGM rectangular plate.