Vibrations of initially stressed thick,rectangular, orthotropic plates

Equations of motion for antisymmetric cross-ply laminates in a general state of non-uniform initial stress, where the effects of transverse shear and rotary inertia are included, are derived by the virtual work theorem. The equations are adjusted to a generic expression by using proper transformations. Then, the vibrational behaviors of the laminates subjected to a state of uniform tensile or compressive stress plus a uniform bening stress are examined. By considering the transformations, introducing the generalized parameters, and employing a similarity parameter, comprehensive solutions are found to this problem; hence, the curves presented in the text are generic rather than specific. The frequency behavior prior to buckling, undergoes a transition for various mode shape numbers is also investigated.