  In this paper, a non-uniform rational B-spline based iso-geometric finite
element method is used to study the static and dynamic characteristics of
functionally graded material (FGM) plates. The material properties are assumed
to be graded only in the thickness direction and the effective properties are
computed either using the rule of mixtures or by Mori-Tanaka homogenization
scheme. The plate kinematics is based on the first order shear deformation
plate theory (FSDT). The shear correction factors are evaluated employing the
energy equivalence principle and a simple modification to the shear correction
factor is presented to alleviate shear locking. Static bending, mechanical and
thermal buckling, linear free flexural vibration and supersonic flutter
analysis of FGM plates are numerically studied. The accuracy of the present
formulation is validated against available three-dimensional solutions. A
detailed numerical study is carried out to examine the influence of the
gradient index, the plate aspect ratio and the plate thickness on the global
response of functionally graded material plates.
