VIBRATION CHARACTERISTICS AND TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF SHEAR-DEFORMABLE FUNCTIONALLY GRADED PLATES IN THERMAL ENVIRONMENTS

Free and forced vibration analyses for initially stressed functionally graded plates in thermal environment are presented. Material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Theoretical formulations are based on Reddy's higher order shear deformation plate theory and include the thermal effects due to uniform temperature variation. The plate is assumed to be clamped on two opposite edges with the remaining two others either free, simply supported or clamped. One-dimensional differential quadrature technique, Galerkin approach, and the modal superposition method are used to determine the transient response of the plate subjected to lateral dynamic loads. Comprehensive numerical results for silicon nitride/stainless-steel rectangular plates are presented in dimensionless tabular and graphical forms. The roles played by the constituent volume fraction index, temperature rise, shape and duration of dynamic loads, initial membrane stresses as well as the character of boundary conditions are studied. The results reveal that, when thermal effects are considered, functionally graded plates with material properties intermediate to those of isotropic ones do not necessarily have intermediate natural frequencies and dynamic responses.     

EXACT BUCKLING AND VIBRATION SOLUTIONS FOR STEPPED RECTANGULAR PLATES

This paper is concerned with the determination of exact buckling loads and vibration frequencies of multi-stepped rectangular plates based on the classical thin (Kirchhoff) plate theory. The plate is assumed to have two opposite edges simply supported while the other two edges can take any combination of free, simply supported and clamped conditions. The proposed analytical method for solution involves the Levy method and the state-space technique. By using this analytical method, exact buckling and vibration solutions are obtained for rectangular plates having one- and two-step thickness variations. These exact solutions are extremely useful as benchmark values for researchers developing numerical techniques and software for analyzing non-uniform thickness plates.     

Free vibration of non-circular cylindrical shell panels

In the free vibration analysis of clamped non-circular cylindrical shell panels, a matrix method has been used to solve the governing differential equations, which have variable coefficients. The effect of the curvature, thickness ratio and aspect ratio on the natural frequencies has been studied. The results obtained for circular cylindrical panels are compared with other available results. The convergence of the solution is found to be good.     

Index to volume 95

The linear and non-linear (large amplitude), axisymmetric free vibration of a circular plate of variable thickness, with immovable edges, is analyzed by applying the transfer matrix method. Two types of circular plate are studied: the stepped thickness plate and the continuously variable thickness plate. Numerical calculations are carried out for these two types of plate, with both simply supported and clamped edges, and the backbone curves and mode shapes are determined. The results are compared with those of other authors.     

Dynamic behaviour of a simply supported circular cylindrical panel subjected to an initial bending moment

The vibration of cylindrical panels with simply supported boundary conditions in the presence of an initial bending moment is investigated. The analysis is based on the theory of Herrmann and Armenàkas. The results for the stability and free vibration of the panels are obtained as special cases.     

Buckling and free vibration analysis of functionally graded cylindrical shells subjected to a temperature-specified boundary condition

Linear thermal buckling and free vibration analysis are presented for functionally graded cylindrical shells with clamped-clamped boundary condition based on temperature-dependent material properties. The material properties of functionally graded materials (FGM) shell are assumed to vary smoothly and continuously across the thickness. With high-temperature specified on the inner surface of the FGM shell and outer surface at ambient temperature, 1D heat conduction equation along the thickness of the shell is applied to determine the temperature distribution; thereby, the material properties based on temperature distribution are made available for thermal buckling and free vibration analysis. First-order shear deformation theory along with Fourier series expansion of the displacement variables in the circumferential direction are used to model the FGM shell. Numerical studies involved the understanding of the influence of the power-law index, r/h and l/r ratios on the critical buckling temperature. Free vibration studies of FGM shells under elevated temperature show that the fall in natural frequency is very drastic for the mode corresponding to the lowest natural frequency when compared to the lowest buckling temperature mode.     

GENERALIZED DIFFERENTIAL QUADRATURE METHOD FOR THE FREE VIBRATION OF TRUNCATED CONICAL PANELS

This paper presents an improved generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method for the investigation of the effects of boundary conditions on the free vibration characteristics of truncated conical panels. The truncated conical panel is an important geometrical shape in the fields of aerospace, marine and structural engineering. However, despite this importance, few works in free vibration analysis have dealt with this particular geometry. In this work, the vibration characteristics of clamped and simply supported truncated conical shells are obtained for various circumferential wave numbers. Further, the effects of the vertex and subtended angles on the frequency parameters are also examined in detail. Due to limited published results in the open literature, results for a range of cases are compared with those generated from the commercial finite element solver McNeal-Schwendler Corporation Nastran, and excellent agreement is observed.     

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded curved panels using a higher-order finite element formulation

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded curved panels is carried out using a higher-order formulation. A C⁰ finite element formulation is used to carry out the analysis. The element consists of nine degrees of freedom per node with higher-order terms in the Taylor's-series expansion, which represents the higher-order transverse cross-sectional deformation modes. The formulation includes Sanders’ approximation for doubly curved shells considering the effects of rotary inertia and transverse shear. A realistic parabolic distribution of transverse shear strains through the shell thickness is assumed and the use of shear correction factor is avoided. Material properties are assumed to be temperature independent and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Heat conduction between ceramic and metal constituents is neglected. The accuracy of the formulation is validated by comparing the results with those available in the literature. Effects of panel geometry parameters and boundary conditions are studied.     

An exact analytical approach to the free vibration analysis of rectangular plates with mixed boundary conditions

A comprehensive analytical technique is developed for the free vibration analysis of rectangular plates with discontinuities along the boundaries. For illustrative purposes a solution is obtained for plates with edges partially clamped and partially simply supported and plates with edges partially and partially simply supported. A vast array of first mode eigenvalues is provided for these families of plates. Solutions to the equations are obtained by exploiting a mathematical technique described by the author during an earlier publication. It is shown that eigenvalue matrices are easily generated for a wide range of plates with discontinuities in boundary conditions.     

A comprehensive approach to the free vibration analysis of rectangular plates by use of the method of superposition

The authors have found the above techniques to constitute a powerful means for solving rectangular plate problems. At the time of writing, solutions for plates with two adjacent simply supported edges and two adjacent free edges have been obtained. The first 20 eigen-values for plates with all edges clamped have also been determined for a full range of aspect ratio and they are shown to be accurate to within less than one half of one percent. It will be appreciated that solutions for any combination of clamped-simply supported edge conditions can easily be obtained from the all-clamped solution by simply deleting appropriate solutions from the all-clamped combination. In Figure 2 contour lines for first mode vibration of a plate with two adjacent clamped and two adjacent simply supported edges is presented. The higher density of the contour lines along the simply supported edges will be noted.The method of superposition is currently being used by the authors to good advantage to obtain solutions of any desired degree of accuracy to all of the problems discussed. It is found to be easily utilized and unlike more complicated methods is readily comprehensible to the practicing engineer. Eigenvalues for all modes, aspect ratios, and boundary conditions are readily obtained. Modal shapes are expressed in terms of familiar analytic functions. Results of these studies will be made available in future publications.     

The effect of different combinations of boundary conditions on the average radiation efficiency of rectangular plates

The boundary conditions of a vibrating plate are known to have an influence on its sound radiation for frequencies below the critical frequency. To investigate this effect in a systematic way, the average radiation efficiency and radiated power are calculated for a rectangular plate set in an infinite baffle using a modal summation approach. Whereas analytical expressions exist for simply supported boundary conditions, a numerical approach is required for other cases. Nine combinations of boundary conditions are considered, consisting of simply supported, clamped and free edges on different plate edges. The structural vibration is approximated by using independent beam functions in orthogonal directions allowing simple approximate formulae for mode shapes and natural frequencies. This assumption is checked against a finite element model and shown to give reliable results. It is shown that a free plate has the lowest radiation efficiency and a clamped plate the highest for most frequencies between the fundamental panel natural frequency and the critical frequency. Other combinations of boundary condition give intermediate results according to the level of constraint introduced. The differences depend on frequency: excluding the extreme case of a fully free plate all the other boundary conditions give results within a range of 8 dB in the middle part of the short-circuiting region, decreasing towards the critical frequency. At low frequency the differences can be even greater, in some cases up to 20 dB. These conclusions are shown to hold for a range of plate thicknesses and dimensions.     

The stability of partially rigid two-dimensional surfaces in uniform incompressible flow

A theoretical analysis is made of the stability of a partially rigid two-dimensional surface embedded in the uniform flow of an incompressible inviscid fluid. Membranes, simply supported panels and clamped panels, attached at their leading and trailing edges to rigid flat extensions aligned with the undisturbed flow direction, are considered and numerical results are obtained, by using the Galerkin method, showing how the stability varies with the change in length of the upstream and downstream rigid elements. Similar results are obtained for a cantilever panel attached to a leading edge rigid surface modelling the aerofoil or splitter plate used in experiments. The effects of structural damping are included where appropriate and comparisons made with other relevant theoretical and experimental results.     

Analysis of lower modes of vibration of rectangular plates of linearly varying thickness

The title problem is solved assuming that the thickness varies symmetrically with respect to the x-axis. The edges defined by $\text{x = ± a/2}$ are elastically restrained against rotation while the remaining edges are clamped or simply supported.Approximate expressions for four of the lower natural frequencies of vibration (including the fundamental) are given.A forced vibrations situation is also dealt with.     

Large amplitude flexural vibration of stiffened plates

The large amplitude free flexural vibration of thin, elastic orthotropic stiffened plates is studied. The boundary conditions considered are either simply supported on all edges or clamped on all edges and the in-plane edge conditions are either immovable or movable. The governing dynamic equations are derived in terms of non-dimensional parameters describing the stiffening achieved, and the solutions are obtained on the basis of an assumed one-term vibration mode shape for various stiffener combinations. In all cases, the non-linearity is found to be of the hardening type (i.e., the period of non-linear vibration decreases with increasing amplitude). Some interesting conclusions are drawn as to the effect of the stiffening parameters on the non-linear behaviour. A simple method of predicting the postbuckling and static large deflection behaviour from the results obtained in this analysis is included.     

Free vibration of super elliptical plates with constant and variable thickness by Ritz method

In this study free vibration of simply supported and clamped super elliptical plates is investigated. This class of plates includes a wide range of external boundaries varying from an ellipse to a rectangle. Although studies on the upper and lower bounds of these plate geometries, namely circle and rectangle, are quite extensive, contributions on the mid-shapes, especially for simply supported boundary edges are very limited. The Kirchhoff plate model with isotropic and homogeneous material is studied. The super elliptical powers are chosen from 1 to 10. The Ritz method is employed for the solution of the energy equations of the plates. The effects of Poisson's ratio, which should not be neglected for simply supported plates with curved boundaries, and the aspect ratio of the plate are both examined in detail. The effect of thickness variation is also considered in this study. In order to avoid long computational run times, physically pertinent trial functions are utilized. The frequency parameters obtained are presented and compared with published results for plate shapes that match the current cases.     

Free vibration of rectangular plates of arbitrary thickness with one or more edges clamped

Frequencies of free vibration of rectangular plates of arbitrary thickness, with different support conditions, are calculated by using the Method of Initial Functions (MIF), proposed by Vlasov. Sixth and fourth order MIF theories are used for the solution. Numerical results are presented for three square plates for three thickness ratios. The support conditions considered are (i) three sides simply supported and one side clamped, (ii) two opposite sides simply supported and the other two sides clamped and (iii) all sides clamped. It is found that the results produced by the MIF method are in fair agreement with those obtained by using other methods. The classical theory gives overestimates of the frequencies and the departures from the MIF results increase for higher modes and larger thickness ratios.     

FREE VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF ARBITRARILY SHAPED PLATES WITH A MIXED BOUNDARY CONDITION USING NON-DIMENSIONAL DYNAMIC INFLUENCE FUNCTIONS

A new approach using the non-dimensional dynamic influence functions has been developed for free vibration analysis of arbitrarily shaped plates with a mixed boundary condition involving both simply supported edges and clamped ones. Since the proposed method is based on the collocation method using one-dimensional and wave-type functions, no integration procedure is needed on boundary edges of the plate of interest and numerical calculation schemes are relatively concise. In order to settle the incompleteness of the system matrix, which is due to the discarding of a complex natural boundary condition at simply supported edges, an additional simple equation is devised by means of using a geometric approximation on curved edges. Finally, verification examples show that a complete system matrix formed in this way successfully gives accurate eigenvalues compared with FEM (ANSYS) and other methods.     

On the growth rate of bending induced edge cracks in acoustically excited panels

Parts of an aircraft structure may be made to vibrate as a result of acoustic waves generated by various aircraft noise sources impinging on the structure. The stresses associated with this acoustically induced vibration may be sufficiently large to result in fatigue failure of portions of the structure. If acoustically induced fatigue cracks occur in the stiffened skin structures widely used in aircraft construction they may initiate in the skin panels near the stiffener attachment points. The initiation and subsequent propagation of these cracks at the panel edges is primarily due to the bending stresses arising from the out-of-plane vibration of the individual skin panels.The emphasis of the work described in this paper is on examining the growth rate of edge cracks in acoustically excited panels. A single panel with an edge crack is considered and this structural element is modelled as a flat plate clamped on three edges and part of the fourth. The crack is represented by the unclamped part of the fourth edge. Fracture mechanics principles are used to predict the crack growth rates associated with the first two modes of vibration of the edge cracked panel. The crack tip stress intensity factors associated with these panel modes are estimated by a technique based on finding the nominal bending stresses at the crack tips. The nominal bending stresses are in turn found from mode shapes determined by the Rayleigh Principle. The validity of the various assumptions is assessed by comparing the predicted crack growth rates with measured growth rates in panels representative of those used in aircraft construction.     

Response of unconstrained layer panels to random excitation at a point

The acceleration response of unconstrained layer rectangular panels under random point force excitation has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. In the theory the layer material was assumed to be viscoelastic in nature. Generalized harmonic analysis was used to evaluate the power spectral density and the rms values of acceleration response analytically. The theoretical results are compared with the results obtained from experiments for “all edges simply supported” and “all edges clamped” panel boundary conditions.     

The buckling and frequency of flexural vibration of rectangular isotropic and orthotropic plates using Rayleigh's method

A simple approximate formula for the natural frequencies of flexural vibration of isotropic plates, originally developed by Warburton using characteristic beam functions in Rayleigh's method, is modified to apply to specially orthotropic plates and extended to include the effect of uniform, direct inplane forces. The initial buckling problem is treated simply by equating the frequency expression to zero. The approach permits the ready determination of reasonably accurate natural frequencies and/or buckling loads for a given plate involving any combination of free, simply supported or clamped edges, without requiring the aid of a sophisticated calculating device or a knowledge of plate, vibration or buckling theory. To illustrate the applicability and accuracy of the approach, numerical results for a number of specific plate problems are presented.