Abstract：An exact solution is obtained for the radial vibration of a functionally graded piezoelectric sphere filled with an elastic medium by means of the change of variables technique. This solution can be applied to functionally graded piezoelectric spheres of any thickness, with the material properties varying along the thickness direction in power law forms. Especially, the gradient index of the density can be different from that of the other material parameters. Thus, the limitation that all material gradient indices have been assumed to be the same in the literature is then overcome. Numerical examples show that the radial vibration characteristics of the functionally graded piezoelectric spherical shell can be effectively tuned by adjusting either the gradient index or the stiffness of the filling elastic medium.
2017, Vol. 38 
