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.