Exact analytical solution for free vibration of functionally graded micro/nanoplates via three-dimensional nonlocal elasticity

Using three-dimensional (3-D) nonlocal elasticity theory of Eringen, this paper presents closed-form solutions for in-plane and out-of-plane free vibration of simply supported functionally graded (FG) rectangular micro/nanoplates. Elasticity modulus and mass density of FG material are assumed to vary exponentially through the thickness of micro/nanoplate, whereas Poisson's ratio is considered to be constant. By employing appropriate displacement fields for the in-plane and out-of-plane modes that satisfy boundary conditions of the plate, ordinary differential equations of free vibration are obtained. Boundary conditions on the lateral surfaces are imposed on the analytical solutions of the equations to yield the natural frequencies of FG micro/nanoplate. The natural frequencies of FG micro/nanoplate are obtained for different values of nonlocal parameter and gradient index of material properties. The results of this investigation can be used as a benchmark for the future numerical, semi-analytical and analytical studies on the free vibration of FG micro/nanoplates.     

Nonlinear vibration of functionally graded circular cylindrical shells based on improved Donnell equations

In the present work, the study of the nonlinear vibration of a functionally graded cylindrical shell subjected to axial and transverse mechanical loads is presented. Material properties are graded in the thickness direction of the shell according to a simple power law distribution in terms of volume fractions of the material constituents. Governing equations are derived using improved Donnell shell theory ignoring the shallowness of cylindrical shells and kinematic nonlinearity is taken into consideration. One-term approximate solution is assumed to satisfy simply supported boundary conditions. The Galerkin method, the Volmir's assumption and fourth-order Runge–Kutta method are used for dynamical analysis of shells to give explicit expressions of natural frequencies, nonlinear frequency–amplitude relation and nonlinear dynamic responses. Numerical results show the effects of characteristics of functionally graded materials, pre-loaded axial compression and dimensional ratios on the dynamical behavior of shells. The proposed results are validated by comparing with those in the literature.     

Closed-form solution for free vibration of piezoelectric coupled annular plates using Levinson plate theory

Free vibration analysis of annular moderately thick plates integrated with piezoelectric layers is investigated in this study for different combinations of soft simply supported, hard simply supported and clamped boundary conditions at the inner and outer edges of the annular plate on the basis of the Levinson plate theory (LPT). The distribution of electric potential along the thickness direction in the piezoelectric layer is assumed as a sinusoidal function so that the Maxwell static electricity equation is approximately satisfied. The differential equations of motion are solved analytically for various boundary conditions of the plate. In this study the closed-form solution for characteristic equations, displacement components of the plate and electric potential are derived for the first time in the literature. To demonstrate the accuracy of the present solution, comparison studies is first carried out with the available data in the literature and then natural frequencies of the piezoelectric coupled annular plate are presented for different thickness-radius ratios, inner-outer radius ratios, thickness of piezoelectric, material of piezoelectric and boundary conditions. Present analytical model provides design reference for piezoelectric material application, such as sensors, actuators and ultrasonic motors.     

Natural frequencies and modes of open cylindrical shells with a circumferential thickness taper

An analytical procedure to estimate not only the natural frequencies but also modes of open cylindrical shells with a circumferential thickness taper by the transfer matrix method is presented. The transfer matrix is derived from the non-linear differential equations for the cylindrical shells by numerical integration. The accuracy and convergence characteristics of this method are investigated, and the natural frequencies and modes of open cylindrical shells with a circumferential thickness taper are presented for various curvatures, aspect ratios, boundary conditions and thickness ratios. Furthermore, the influences of thickness variation of the cross-section on the natural frequencies and modes are examined.     

Free vibration analysis of doubly curved shallow shells using the Superposition-Galerkin method

This paper demonstrates the applicability of the Superposition Method for free vibration analysis of doubly curved thin shallow shells of rectangular planform with any possible combination of simply supported and clamped edges. The same building block yields the natural frequencies for 55 combinations of edge conditions. The natural frequency parameters of the shells were obtained using the Superposition-Galerkin Method (SGM) for seven sets of boundary conditions, several different curvature ratios and two aspect ratios. The SGM uses approximate steady state solutions as building blocks but the method proves to be accurate and efficient. It has also been shown that even with approximate building blocks, the monotonic nature of convergence of the natural frequencies with respect to the number of driving coefficients holds, as long as the number of admissible functions in the steady state solution is kept constant. The results for natural frequencies of the seven boundary conditions may be considered as benchmarks.     

Nonlocal three-dimensional theory of elasticity with application to free vibration of functionally graded nanoplates on elastic foundations

In the present work, a three-dimensional (3D) elastic plate model capturing the small scale effects is developed for the free vibration of functionally graded (FG) nanoplates resting on elastic foundations. The theoretical model is formulated employing the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen in conjunction with the 3D equations of motion of elasticity.The material properties are assumed to vary continuously along the thickness of the nanoplate in accordance with the power law formulation. Through extending the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method to the three-dimensional case, the governing equations are simultaneously discretized in every three coordinate directions and are then recast to the standard form of an eigen value problem. Solving the acquired problem, the natural frequencies of the nanoplates with different boundary conditions are calculated. The convergence behavior of the numerical results is checked out and comparison studies are conducted to make sure of the accuracy and reliability of the present model. Finally, the dependence of the vibration behavior of the nanoplate on edge conditions, elastic coefficients of the foundation, scale coefficient, mode number, material and geometric parameters are discussed.     

Free vibration of a conical shell with variable thickness

An analysis is presented for the free vibration of a truncated conical shell with variable thickness by use of the transfer matrix approach. The applicability of the classical thin shell theory is assumed and the governing equations of vibration of a conical shell are written as a coupled set of first order differential equations by using the transfer matrix of the shell. Once the matrix has been determined by quadrature of the equations, the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of vibration are calculated numerically in terms of the elements of the matrix under any combination of boundary conditions at the edges. The method is applied to truncated conical shells with linearly, parabolically or exponentially varying thickness, and the effects of the semi-vertex angle, truncated length and varying thickness on the vibration are studied.     

Some approximations in the linear dynamic equations of thin cylinders

Theoretical analysis is performed on the linear dynamic equations of thin cylindrical shells to find the error committed by making the Donnell assumption and the neglect of in-plane inertia. At first, the effect of these approximations is studied on a shell with classical simply supported boundary condition. The same approximations are then investigated for other boundary conditions from a consistent approximate solution of the eigenvalue problem. The Donnell assumption is valed at frequencies high compared with the ring frequencies, for finite length thin shells. The error in the eigenfrequencies from omitting tangential inertia is appreciable for modes with large circumferential and axial wave lengths, independent of shell thickness and boundary conditions.     

Three-dimensional free vibration of thick functionally graded annular plates in thermal environment

The free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) thick annular plates subjected to thermal environment is studied based on the 3D elasticity theory. The material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent and graded in the thickness direction. Considering the thermal environment effects and using Hamilton's principle, the equations of motion are derived. The effects of the initial thermal stresses are considered accurately by obtaining them from the 3D thermoelastic equilibrium equations. The differential quadrature method (DQM) as an efficient and accurate numerical tool is used to solve both the thermoelastic equilibrium and free vibration equations. Very fast rate of convergence of the method is demonstrated. Also, the formulation is validated by comparing the results with those obtained based on the first-order shear deformation theory and also with those available in the literature for the limit cases, i.e. annular plates without thermal effects. The effects of temperature rise, material and geometrical parameters on the natural frequencies are investigated. The new results can be used as benchmark solutions for future researches.     

Free Vibration Analysis of Nanocomposite Plates Reinforced by Graded Carbon Nanotubes Based on First-Order Shear Deformation Plate Theory

Based on the Mindlin's first-order shear deformation plate theory this paper focuses on the free vibration behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite plates reinforced by aligned and straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The material properties of simply supported functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (FGCNTR) plates are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction. The effective material properties at a point are estimated by either the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach or the extended rule of mixture. Two types of symmetric carbon nanotubes (CNTs) volume fraction profiles are presented in this paper. The equations of motion and related boundary conditions are derived using the Hamilton's principle. A semi-analytical solution composed of generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method, as an efficient and accurate numerical method, and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motions. The primary contribution of the present work is to provide a comparative study of the natural frequencies obtained by extended rule of mixture and Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka method. The detailed parametric studies are carried out to study the influences various types of the CNTs volume fraction profiles, geometrical parameters and CNTs volume fraction on the free vibration characteristics of FGCNTR plates. The results reveal that the prediction methods of effective material properties have an insignificant influence of the variation of the frequency parameters with the plate aspect ratio and the CNTs volume fraction.     

Free vibrational characteristics of isotropic coupled cylindrical-conical shells

This paper presents the free vibrational characteristics of isotropic coupled conical-cylindrical shells. The equations of motion for the cylindrical and conical shells are solved using two different methods. A wave solution is used to describe the displacements of the cylindrical shell, while the displacements of the conical sections are solved using a power series solution. Both Donnell-Mushtari and Flügge equations of motion are used and the limitations associated with each thin shell theory are discussed. Natural frequencies are presented for different boundary conditions. The effect of the boundary conditions and the influence of the semi-vertex cone angle are described. The results from the theoretical model presented here are compared with those obtained by previous researchers and from a finite element model.     

Vibrations of bonded beams with a single lap adhesive joint

The natural frequencies and loss factors of the coupled longitudinal and flexural vibrations of a system consisting of a pair of parallel and identical elastic cantilevers which are lap-jointed by viscoelastic material over a length a_c from their free ends have been investigated. A complete set of equations of motion and boundary conditions governing the vibration of the system are derived. The solution of these equations, subject to satisfying the boundary conditions, yields the desired natural frequencies and associated composite loss factors. The numerical results have been compared with those from two other approximate methods.     

Free vibrations of elastic circular toroidal shells

In this paper, the free vibrations of elastic in vacuo circular toroidal shells under different boundary conditions are studied using the linear Sanders thin shell theory. Beam functions are used to describe the motion along the meridional direction whilst trigonometric functions are used to represent the deformation of the cross section. It is shown that both the natural frequencies and the mode shapes can be accurately predicted as long as the employed beam functions satisfy the boundary conditions at the ends of the shells. The dependence of the free vibration characteristics of an elastic toroidal shell upon boundary conditions and toroidal to cross-sectional radius ratio is also illustrated and explained in this paper.     

Vibration of doubly curved shallow shells with arbitrary boundaries

The first comprehensive study of shallow shell vibrations subjected to as many as 21 possible boundary conditions is presented. Thin shallow shell theory is used. Relatively accurate results for natural frequencies of doubly-curved shallow shells have been obtained. These can be used for benchmarking by researchers as well as reference data for practicing engineers. The Ritz method is used to solve for natural vibrations of these shells with arbitrary boundary conditions. Natural frequencies are presented for various shell curvatures including spherical, cylindrical and hyperbolic paraboloidal shells.     

Dynamic stability of functionally graded cantilever cylindrical shells under distributed axial follower forces

In this paper, flutter of functionally graded material (FGM) cylindrical shells under distributed axial follower forces is addressed. The first-order shear deformation theory is used to model the shell, and the material properties are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a power law distribution using the properties of two base material phases. The solution is obtained by using the extended Galerkin's method, which accounts for the natural boundary conditions that are not satisfied by the assumed displacement functions. The effect of changing the concentrated (Beck's) follower force into the uniform (Leipholz's) and linear (Hauger's) distributed follower loads on the critical circumferential mode number and the minimum flutter load is investigated. As expected, the flutter load increases as the follower force changes from the so-called Beck's load into the so-called Leipholz's and Hauger's loadings. The increased flutter load was calculated for homogeneous shell with different mechanical properties, and it was found that the difference in elasticity moduli bears the most significant effect on the flutter load increase in short, thick shells. Also, for an FGM shell, the increase in the flutter load was calculated directly, and it was found that it can be derived from the simple power law when the corresponding increase for the two base phases are known.     

Vibration of continuous systems with compliant boundaries

A theoretical study of two types of continuous systems with a general form of compliant boundary conditions is presented. The systems considered are elastic beams and circular plates with elastic damped edge constraints. Beam studies are restricted to those with identical boundary conditions at each end. The method of solution consists of formulating the edge condition of the system in terms of the impedance of the compliant boundary material and of using classical solution techniques to solve the equations of motion. The result of matching the boundary conditions of the system with constraining conditions is the system frequency equation in terms of the constraint impedances.A discussion is presented giving the influence of the compliant material on the vibration of the structure. The models give numerically the effect of elasticity and damping of the supports on the resonant frequencies of the systems. Parameters are obtained which indicate when one may assume simply supported or clamped boundaries for the actual case of elastic damped constraints without introducing large errors in the natural frequencies.     

Natural frequencies of orthotropic, monoclinic and hexagonal plates by a meshless method

The collocation method with multiquadrics basis functions and a first-order shear deformation theory are used to find natural flexural frequencies of a square plate with various material symmetries and subjected to different boundary conditions. Computed results are found to agree well with the literature values obtained by the solution of the three-dimensional elasticity equations using the finite element method.     

Semi-Analytical Solution for Functionally Graded Solid Circular and Annular Plates Resting on Elastic Foundations Subjected to Axisymmetric Transverse Loading

In this paper, the static analysis of functionally graded (FG) circular plates resting on linear elastic foundation with various edge conditions is carried out by using a semi-analytical approach. The governing differential equations are derived based on the three dimensional theory of elasticity and assuming that the mechanical properties of the material vary exponentially along the thickness direction and Poisson's ratio remains constant. The solution is obtained by employing the state space method (SSM) to express exactly the plate behavior along the graded direction and the one dimensional differential quadrature method (DQM) to approximate the radial variations of the parameters. The effects of different parameters (e.g., material property gradient index, elastic foundation coefficients, the surfaces conditions (hard or soft surface of the plate on foundation), plate geometric parameters and edges condition) on the deformation and stress distributions of the FG circular plates are investigated.     

Free vibration of joined conical-cylindrical shells

An analysis is presented for the free vibration of joined conical-cylindrical shells. The governing equations of vibration of a conical shell, including a cylindrical shell as a special case, are written as a coupled set of first order differential equations by using the transfer matrix of the shell. Once the matrix has been determined, the entire structure matrix is obtained by the product of the transfer matrices of the shells and the point matrix at the joint, and the frequency equation is derived with terms of the elements of the structure matrix under the boundary conditions. The method has been applied to a joined truncated conical-cylindrical shell and an annular plate-cylindrical shell system, and the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of vibration calculated numerically. The results are presented.     

Is it possible to determine the type of fastening of a vibrating plate from its sounding?

The problem of determining the type of fastening of a circular plate inaccessible to direct observation from the natural frequencies of its symmetric flexural vibrations is considered. The uniqueness theorem for the solution to this inverse problem is proved, and a method for the reconstruction of unknown boundary conditions is indicated. An approximate formula for the determination of unknown boundary conditions from three natural frequencies is obtained. It is assumed that the natural frequencies can be given approximately, within a certain accuracy. The method of an approximate calculation of unknown boundary conditions is illustrated by four examples of different cases of the plate fastening (a free support, an elastic fixing, a floating fixing, and a free edge).