Vibration analysis of two-dimensional structures using micropolar elements

Based on the micropolar theory(MPT), a two-dimensional(2 D) element is proposed to describe the free vibration response of structures. In the context of the MPT, a 2 D formulation is developed within the ABAQUS finite element software. The user-defined element(UEL) subroutine is used to implement a micropolar element. The micropolar effects on the vibration behavior of 2 D structures with arbitrary shapes are studied. The effect of micro-inertia becomes dominant, and by considering the micropolar effects, the frequencies decrease. Also, there is a considerable discrepancy between the predicted micropolar and classical frequencies at small scales, and this difference decreases when the side length-to-length scale ratio becomes large.