EFFECT OF ELASTIC FOUNDATION ON ASYMMETRIC VIBRATION OF POLAR ORTHOTROPIC LINEARLY TAPERED CIRCULAR PLATES

Asymmetric vibrations of polar orthotropic circular plates of linearly varying thickness resting on an elastic foundation of Winkler type are discussed on the basis of the classical plate theory. Ritz method has been employed to obtain the natural frequencies of vibration using the functions based upon the static deflection of polar orthotropic plates, which has faster rate of convergence as compared to the polynomial co-ordinate functions. Frequency parameter of the plate with elastically restrained edge conditions are presented for various values of taper parameter, rigidity ratio and foundation parameter. A comparison of the results with those available in the literature obtained by finite element method, receptance method and polynomial co-ordinate functions shows an excellent agreement.     

An exact frequency analysis of annular plates with small core having elastically restrained outer edge and sliding inner edge

The present study deals with an exact analysis of free transverse vibrations of annular plates having small core and sliding inner edge and the outer edge being elastically restrained based on classical plate theory. This study focuses mainly on the influence of variations in the elastic restraint parameters on the fundamental frequencies of plate vibration. The natural frequencies for the first six modes of annular plate vibrations are computed for different materials and varying values of the radius parameter and these natural frequencies may correspond to either axisymmetric and/or non-axisymmetric modes of plate vibration. The extensive data of values of fundamental frequency parameter presented in this paper is believed to be of use in the design of acoustic underwater transducers, ocean and naval structures, compressor and pump elements, offshore platforms. These results may serve as bench mark values for researchers to validate their results obtained using approximate numerical methods.     

Semi-analytic solutions for the free in-plane vibrations of confocal annular elliptic plates with elastically restrained edges

A two-dimensional analytical model is developed to describe the free extensional vibrations of thin elastic plates of elliptical planform with or without a confocal cutout under general elastically restrained edge conditions, based on the Navier displacement equation of motion for a state of plane stress. The model has been simplified by invoking the Helmholtz decomposition theorem, and the method of separation of variables in elliptic coordinates is used to solve the resulting uncoupled governing equations in terms of products of (even and odd) angular and radial Mathieu functions. Extensive numerical results are presented in an orderly fashion for the first three anti-symmetric/symmetric natural frequencies of elliptical plates of selected geometries under different combinations of classical (clamped and free) and flexible boundary conditions. Also, the occurrences of “frequency veering” between various modes of the same symmetry group and interchange of the associated mode shapes in the veering region are noted and discussed. Moreover, selected 2D deformed mode shapes are presented in vivid graphical form. The accuracy of solutions is checked through appropriate convergence studies, and the validity of results is established with the aid of a commercial finite element package as well as by comparison with the data in the existing literature. The set of data reported herein is believed to be the first rigorous attempt to obtain the in-plane vibration frequencies of solid and annular thin elastic elliptical plates for a wide range of plate eccentricities.     

Vibration and stability of a circular plate of unidirectionally varying thickness

An analysis is presented for the vibration and stability of an elastically restrained circular plate of unidirectionally varying thickness subjected to an in-plane force. For this purpose, the transverse deflection of a circular plate of variable thickness is written in a series of the deflection functions of a uniform circular plate without the action of a force. The dynamical energies of the plate are evaluated analytically, and the frequency equation of the plate is derived by the Ritz method. The analysis is applied to circular plates of unidirectionally tapered or stepped thickness; the natural frequencies and the divergence loads are calculated numerically, and the effects of the varying thickness and edge conditions on the vibration and stability are studied.     

On computation of random response of a clamped plate

The free vibrations of elastically connected circular plate systems with elastically restrained edges and initial radial tensions are investigated analytically. By using the equations developed for the general n-plate system, the plate systems consisting of three and two identical plates with identical boundary conditions and a uniform radial tension are treated in detail. Both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric vibrations are considered. Attention is directed to the influence of the radial tension and the elastic edge constraints on the first nine eigenvalues and the corresponding natural frequencies of the systems.     

Free vibration of a circular plate elastically restrained along some radial segments

An analysis is presented for the free vibration of a circular plate restrained against deflection along radial segments. With the reaction forces acting on the segments regarded as unknown harmonic loads, the stationary response of the plate to these loads is expressed by the use of the Green function. The force distributions along the segments are expanded into Fourier series with unknown coefficients, and the homogeneous equations for the coefficients are derived by restraint conditions on the supports. The natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the plate are determined by calculating the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the equations. The method is applied to circular plates supported along several radial segments located at equal angular intervals, the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the plates are calculated numerically and the effect of the supports is discussed.     

Free vibrations of a generally restrained rectangular plate with an internal line hinge

This paper deals with the study of free transverse vibrations of rectangular plates with an internal line hinge and elastically restrained boundaries. The equations of motion and its associated boundary and transition conditions are rigorously derived using Hamilton’s principle. The governing eigenvalue equation is solved employing a combination of the Ritz method and the Lagrange multipliers method. The deflections of the plate and the Lagrange multipliers are approximated by polynomials as coordinate functions. The developed algorithm allows obtaining approximate solutions for plates with different aspect ratios, boundary conditions, including edges elastically restrained by both translational and rotational springs, and arbitrary locations of the line hinge. Therefore, a unified algorithm has been implemented. Sets of parametric studies are performed and the results are given in graphical and tabular form.     

Vibration analysis of circular cylindrical double-shell structures under general coupling and end boundary conditions

In this paper, the free and forced vibration analysis of circular cylindrical double-shell structures under arbitrary boundary conditions is presented. This is achieved by employing the improved Fourier series method based on Hamilton’s principle. In the formulation, each displacement component of the cylindrical shells and annular plates is invariantly expanded as the superposition of a standard Fourier series with several supplementary functions introduced to remove the potential discontinuities of the original displacement and its derives at the boundaries. With the introduction of four sets of boundary springs at the coupling interfaces and end boundaries of the shell–plate combination, both elastic and rigid coupling and end boundary conditions can be easily obtained by assigning the stiffnesses of the artificial springs to certain values. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the structures as well as frequency responses under forced vibration are obtained with the Rayleigh–Ritz procedure. The convergence of the method is validated by comparing the present results with those obtained by the finite element method. Several numerical results including natural frequencies and mode shapes are presented to demonstrate the excellent accuracy and reliability of the current method. Finally, a number of parameter studies concerning various end and coupling boundary conditions, different dimensions of shells and annular plates are also performed.     

A variational approach to free vibration analysis of shear deformable polygonal plates with variable thickness

This paper presents a simple and general variational approach for the study of the free vibration behaviour of polygonal isotropic plates with variable thickness. The Reissner-Mindlin plate theory is used to take into account the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia in the analysis. Moreover, this theory allows obtaining greater accuracy of frequency coefficients corresponding to vibration higher modes, even for the thin plates.The governing eigenvalue equation is obtained employing the Ritz method. The plate geometry is approximated by using non-orthogonal triangular co-ordinates, while sets of independent polynomials, expressed in these co-ordinates, are employed to approximate the displacement and rotation fields. The developed algorithm allows obtaining approximated analytical solutions for plates with different aspect ratios, thickness variation and boundary conditions, including edges elastically restrained by both translational and rotational springs. Therefore, a unified program has been easily implemented. Convergence and comparison analyzes are carried out to verify the reliability and accuracy of the numerical solutions. Finally, sets of parametric studies are performed and the results are given in graphical and tabular form.     

Free vibration of annular sector plates with edges possessing different degrees of rotational restraint

Results for the natural frequencies of annular sector plates possessing different degrees of elastic restraint along the edges are presented. The analysis is based on a numerical method developed by the author. The functions in the circumferential direction satisfying the boundary conditions along the radial edges, which are required in the analysis, are indicated. To the best of the author's knowledge, no previous results exist for such plates.     

Free vibration analysis of elastically connected multiple-beams by using the Adomian modified decomposition method

The Adomian modified decomposition method (AMDM) is employed in this paper to investigate the free vibrations of N elastically connected parallel Euler–Bernoulli beams, which are continuously joined by a Winkler-type elastic layer. The proposed AMDM method can be used to analyze the vibration of beam system consisting of an arbitrary number of beams. By using boundary conditions the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes can be easily obtained simultaneously. The numerical results for different boundary conditions, beam numbers and the stiffness of the Winkler-type elastic layer are presented. It is shown that the AMDM offers an accurate and effective method of free vibration analysis of multiple-connected beams with arbitrary boundary conditions.     

Frequency maximization of laminated sandwich plates under general boundary conditions using layerwise optimization method with refined zigzag theory

The present paper extends the layerwise optimization (LO) procedure to the maximization problem of the fundamental frequencies of sandwich plates with fibrous composites and low stiffness core layers. Frequencies are calculated by the Ritz method based on a refined zigzag theory (RZT). Polynomial functions which satisfy at least geometrical boundary conditions with boundary indexes are employed as displacement functions, and they enable satisfying arbitrary sets of boundary conditions for rectangular plates. Results of the experimental modal analysis validate the accuracy of the present calculations, and a comparison with results of the classical laminated theory (CLPT) and the first order share deformation theory (FSDT) supports the effectiveness of the present method. Optimized results are compared with other typical sets of lay-up configurations and this shows the LO method as suitable means to the optimization problem for sandwich plates.     

Transverse vibrations of thin,elastic plates with concentrated masses and internal elastic supports

The fundamental frequency of vibration of a plate carrying concentrated masses and with internal elastic supports is determined. The case of an orthotropic, rectangular plate elastically restrained against rotation along the four edges is tackled first by using simple polynomial approximations and the Galerkin method. Then, vibrations of clamped and simply supported isotropic plates of regular polygonal shape are studied by using the conformal mapping technique coupled with the variational method. Finally the case of a circular plate elastically restrained against translation and rotation is considered.     

Vibration and stability of elasticity supported circular plates under conservative and non-conservative loads

This paper deals with the vibration and stability of circular plates elastically restrained against translation and rotation along concentric intermediate circles as well as at the outer edge. The plate is subjected to a horizontal or tangential radial load at the periphery. Both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric vibrations are considered. It is assumed that the plate is thin, elastic, and isotropic. The solutions are obtained in terms of Bessel functions for both the complete and annular plate sections. The effect of the support stiffnesses on the plate natural frequency and the divergence and flutter instability loads are studied in detail.     

Free vibration of polar-orthotropic sector plates

The free vibration of ring-shaped polar-orthotropic sector plates is analyzed by the Ritz method using a spline function as an admissible function for the deflection of the plates. For this purpose, the transverse deflection of a sector plate is written in a series of the products of the deflection function of a sectorial beam and that of a circular beam satisfying the boundary conditions. The deflection function of the sectorial beam is approximately expressed by a quintic spline function, which satisfies the equation of flexural vibration of the beam at each point dividing the beam into small elements. The frequency equation of the plate is derived by the conditions for a stationary value of the Lagrangian. The present method is applied to ring-shaped polar-orthotropic sector plates with some combination of boundary conditions, and the natural frequencies and the mode shapes are calculated numerically up to higher modes. This method is very effective for the study of vibration problems of variously shaped anisotropic plates including these sector plates.     

The low frequency axisymmetric modal sound radiation efficiency of an elastically supported annular plate

This paper deals with the sound radiation efficiency of a vibrating, thin, elastically supported annular plate embedded into a flat rigid baffle. The free axisymmetric time harmonic vibrations have been considered for a single mode. It has been assumed that the influence of the air column above the plate on the plate's vibrations is negligible. First, the sound radiation efficiency has been formulated as an integral. Further, rigorous mathematical manipulations have been carried out based on the theory of summation of multiple expansion series containing the hypergeometric functions. As a result, the formulations have been expressed as some fast convergent expansion series containing only the Bessel and Struve functions of integer order and the spherical Bessel functions. The presented formulations of sound radiation efficiency of an elastically supported annular plate are useful for numerical calculations within the low frequency range what is important for practical reasons. The formulations are valid for axisymmetric boundary conditions and they enable changing the values of boundary stiffness constants. Consequently, the analysis of influence of the plate's edge attachment on the sound radiation efficiency has been performed. The limiting transitions have also been performed from formulations valid for the elastically supported annular plates to the formulations valid for annular plates with classical boundary conditions (clamped, simply supported and free) at one edge or at both edges.     

Anomaly observed in the approximate analysis of vibrating rectangular plates with edges elastically restrained against rotation and translation

This paper deals with the solution of the title problem in the case of an orthotropic plate with three edges elastically restrained against rotation whilst transverse displacement is prevented. It is assumed that the fourth edge is elastically restrained against rotation and translation.The natural boundary conditions are satisfied approximately at the fourth edge.The Rayleigh-Ritz method is used to derive an approximate fundamental frequency equation and a rather curious anomaly is shown to exist in the frequency values for a certain range of values of the rotational and translational spring parameters which govern the motion of the fourth edge.     

A modified Fourier series solution for vibration analysis of truncated conical shells with general boundary conditions

Free vibration analysis of truncated conical shells with general elastic boundary conditions is presented in this paper. An accurate modified Fourier series solution is developed, in which, regardless of the boundary conditions, each displacement of the conical shell is invariantly expressed as a new form of improved series expansions composed of a standard Fourier series and closed-form auxiliary functions introduced to ensure and accelerate the convergence of the series expansion. All the expansion coefficients are treated as the generalized coordinates and determined using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. By using the present method, conical shells with arbitrary boundary conditions including all classical and elastic end restraints can be solved in a unified form. The accuracy and convergence of the current approach are validated by numerical examples and comparison with FEM results and those from the literature, and excellent accuracy is demonstrated. Comprehensive studies on the effects of elastic restraint parameters, semi-vertex angle and the ratio of length to radius are also reported. Some new results are presented for cases with elastic boundary restraints which may serve as benchmark solution for future researches.     

Study on plate silencer with general boundary conditions

A plate silencer consists of an expansion chamber with two side-branch rigid cavities covered by plates. Previous studies showed that, in a duct, the introduction of simply supported or clamped plates into an air conveying system could achieve broadband quieting from low to medium frequencies. In this study, analytical formulation is extended to the plate silencer with general boundary conditions. A set of static beam functions, which are a combination of sine series and third-order polynomial, is employed as the trial functions of the plate vibration velocity. Green?s function and Kirchhoff–Helmholtz integral are used to solve the sound radiation in the duct and the cavity, and then the vibration velocity of the plate is obtained. Having obtained the vibration velocity, the pressure perturbations induced by the plate oscillation and the transmission loss are found. Optimization is carried out in order to obtain the widest stopband. The transmission loss calculated by the analytical method agrees closely with the result of the finite element method simulation. Further studies with regard to the plate under several different classical boundary conditions based on the validated model show that a clamped-free plate silencer has the worst stopband. Attempts to release the boundary restriction of the plate are also made to study its effect on sound reflection. Results show that a softer end for a clamped–clamped plate silencer helps increase the optimal bandwidth, while the same treatment for simply supported plate silencer will result in performance degradation.     

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.