Free Vibration of Simply Supported Rectangular Composite Plates with Patch Mass

The effect of a distributed patch mass on the natural frequency of vibration of a laminated rectangular plate with simply supported boundaries is investigated. The third order displacement field of a composite laminated rectangular plate is defined using the two variable refined plate theory. Equations of motion of the plate are obtained with the help of calculus of variation. Parametric study of nondimensional natural frequencies of vibration is carried out and the effects of geometrical parameters such as the aspect ratio of the plate, size and location of the patch mass on these frequencies are studied. The results are then compared with those reported using the third order shear deformation theory. The results are found to be in very good agreement.

Keywords:

Free vibration , Patch mass , Laminated composite plate , Refined plate theory