An exact closed-form procedure for free vibration analysis of laminated spherical shell panels based on Sanders theory

This paper deals with closed-form solutions for in-plane and out-of-plane free vibration of moderately thick laminated transversely isotropic spherical shell panels on the basis of Sanders theory without any usage of approximate methods. The governing equations of motion and the boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton’s principle. The highly coupled governing equations are recast to some uncoupled equations by introducing four potential functions. Also, some relations were presented for the unknowns of the original set of equations in terms of the unknowns of the uncoupled equations. According to the proposed analytical approach, both Navier and Lévy-type explicit solutions are developed for moderately thick laminated spherical shell panels. The efficiency and high accuracy of the present approach are investigated by comparing some of the present study with the available results in the literature and the results of 3D finite element method. The effects of various shell parameters like shear modulus ratio of transversely isotropic materials and curvature ratio on the natural frequencies are studied. Clearly, the proposed solutions can accurately predict the in-plane and out-of-plane natural frequencies of moderately thick transversely isotropic spherical shell panels.