Eigenfrequencies of Functionally Graded Plates with Rectangular Cutout

In recent times Functionally Graded Materials, also they are commonly known as FGM widely used in place of composites for their immense advantages. Vibration analysis is crucial in the field of structural analysis due to its wide application in many practical engineering problems. Plates are fundamental elements of many structural engineering applications and have been studied extensively. Cutouts weaken a structure because they alter the load lines surrounding it. However, cutouts can only be avoided in some cases. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the structure's eigenfrequencies with cutouts. The present work employs finite element analysis to get the eigenfrequencies and mode shapes of the FGM plate with a rectangular cutout. “Nine-noded isoparametric elements” with forty-five degrees of freedom are used for the finite element formulation. The entire finite element program, based on “first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT)”, has been written in MATLAB. Power law governs the continuous change of the material properties through the thickness of the FGM plate. Initially, the current outcomes are compared to previously reported outcomes for FGM plates without a cutout. Then, new results are found for various boundary conditions, cracked corners, aspect ratio, power index and thickness ratio. The current formulation is robust and is capable of producing solutions with a high degree of accuracy.