MODELING STUDIES APPLIED TO FUNCTIONALLY GRADED MATERIALS

This review contains a description of modelling studies relative to fu nctionally graded materials (FGMs). Two principal topics are covered: models for microstructure-dependent thermophysical properties, and mod els for the design, processing, and performance of FGMs. The former is a particularly important input to FGM modelling because of the wide v ariety of microstructures that can exist across the graded direction o f a single material. Based on the work described in this review, recom mendations are made regarding areas in which additional modelling stud ies would be beneficial. Suggested approaches to the modelling include the application of a number of powerful techniques, such as percolati on theory, fractal analysis, lattice-based microstructure models, the renormalization group, neural networks, and fuzzy logic.