Mechanical Analysis of Functionally Graded Porous Structures: A Review

Functionally graded porous structures (FGPSs), characterized by a continuous spatial gradient in both porosity and material properties, have been considered as the new generation lightweight structures. Research activities on FGPSs have grown rapidly in recent years. This paper is devoted to review the existing research works on FGPSs and to highlight the important advances in this emerging area. It consists of: (i) a brief introduction of porous materials and Functionally graded porous materials (FGPMs); (ii) an elaboration of the key factor and micromechanical models related to material properties of FGPMs; (iii) a comprehensive review of mechanical analysis of FGPSs; (iv) a detailed discussion of the main challenges and future research directions; (v) a conclusion.