Novelty

Fiber reinforced laminated plates are important structural elements in modern engineering
structures and widely used in diverse industries, e.g. automobile, naval and especially in the
aerospace industry where they are subjected to different type of loading more specifically
dynamic loads. Laminated structural elements exhibit properties, which are more favorable than
those single layer and isotropic ones. The more common elements used are laminated composite
plates which are typically made of different layers bonded together. Basically, each layer is
generally orthotropic and has a different orientation of the fibers. The determinations of the
natural vibrational characteristics (frequencies and mode shapes) of composite plates are of great
importance more over laminated plates have the advantage of controllability of their structural
properties by changing the fiber orientation and the number of plies. To the author’s knowledge
vibration analysis of laminated circular and annular plates made up of cylindrically orthotropic
materials differing only in fiber orientation is, somehow, found missing.

Furthermore, the actual boundary conditions of a real system are mostly not classical, neither
simply supported nor clamped but somewhere in between two conditions. It is therefore
important to considered elastic edge restraints in plate analysis to better simulate the response of
plates. To the author’s knowledge vibration analysis of laminated circular and annular plates
made up of cylindrically orthotropic materials with elastic edge restraints have never been
solved.

Again, the composite circular plates are divided in two main groups according to their material
properties which are definable as rectilinear orthotropic or circular orthotropic. In the first case
the composite circular plate can be considered as if it were cut out from a common rectangular
composite laminate; it is made up of layers, differently orientated, with fibers arranged along
rectilinear trajectories. To the author’s knowledge vibration analysis of laminated circular and
annular plates made up of rectangular orthotropy have never been solved.
Originality
 Free vibration results for circular and annular plates made up of cylindrically orthotropic
materials differing in fiber orientation have been presented for the first time.
 The problem of shear-deformable laminated circular/annular plates having translational
as well as rotational edge constrained has been studied for the first time.
 Comprehensive mixed edge condition results for laminated circular/annular plates have
been presented for the first time.
 Free vibration results for circular and annular plates made up of rectilinear orthotropic
materials with different lay-ups have been presented for the first time.

Laminated circular plates are commonly used structural component having a broad application in
aerospace, civil, mechanical, nuclear as well as marine engineering. In ship and offshore
structures, there is many local structure system formed of relatively thick plates and/ or double
wall panels such as cylindrical tank base plate or roof structure, cover plate of manhole of
storage tank, roof or top of tables etc.

FRP tanks store 15% sodium hypochlorite for use in the wastewater treatment process at the
North Hudson Sewerage Authority in West New York, New Jersey.
(Courtesy: Kenway Composites)
 Vertical Cylindrical Tanks with Flat Circular Bottom
(Courtesy: Fibrocast)

These structural members are often subjected to dynamic loads, which can lead to vibratory
behaviors of structures. In all these applications, these structural members may fail and collapse
because of material fatigue resulting from vibrations. A good understanding of the free vibration
behavior of the plate components is crucial to the design and performance evaluations of the
mechanical systems. The plate response frequencies and vibration mode shapes, for instance, are
often used to establish the dynamic response of complex engineering system. Free vibration data
are used to derive resonant behavior as well as fatigue stresses of critical parts of machines.

Laminated circular plates are commonly used structural component having a broad application in
aerospace, civil, mechanical, nuclear as well as marine engineering. In ship and offshore
structures, there is many local structure system formed of relatively thick plates and/ or double
wall panels such as cylindrical tank base plate or roof structure, cover plate of manhole of
storage tank, roof or top of tables etc. A good understanding of the free vibration behavior of the
plate components is crucial to the design and performance evaluations of the mechanical
systems. The plate response frequencies and vibration mode shapes, for instance, are often used
to establish the dynamic response of complex engineering system. Free vibration data are used to
derive resonant behavior as well as fatigue stresses of critical parts of machines.
For the vibration analysis of such structures Mindlin plate theory (FSDT), which includes the
effects shear deformation and rotatory inertia, is strongly recommonded.

Why circular and annular plates with elastic edge constraints?

It is well known that the actual restraints along the edges of plates often deviates from that
provided by classical edge conditions traditionally denoted as simply supported, clamped and
free. In many cases, although the computed results seem to be satisfactory for design proposes,
but in many other situations, the simplified classical modeling of the plate edge conditions leads
to significant errors and thus elastic restraints should be included for modeling purposes. Most of
the previous works on plates with elastically restrained edges are limited to isotropic thin circular
plates.

Free vibration analysis of symmetrically laminated circular and annular plates with elastic
edge constraints – Very first time

Why FSDT?

As inaccuracies associated with CLPT are largely eliminated by use of the Mindlin
theory.

shortcoming of the thin plate theory

The studies on elastic behavior of plates started with the Kirchhoff’s plate theory [105]. This
theory implies that a straight line normal to the plate’s mid-plane remains straight, normal to the
mid-plane and undeformed. Classical plate theory, however, overpredicts all the vibration
frequencies when the plate is relatively thick or when accurate solutions for higher modes of
vibration are desired for thin plates, as it neglects the effects of transverse shear deformation and
rotary inertia.
The shortcoming of the thin plate theory forced researchers to develop more refined plate
theories like shear deformation theories.
The transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia effects need to be included for an
accurate analysis in the response of the relatively thick plates. This thesis seeks to use,
shear deformation theory which takes into account these effects.
The inclusion of shear deformation effects in mindlin plate theory means that there exist three
basic reference quantities i.e. a flexural deflection and cross-sectional rotations in two directions,
rather than the flexural deflection alone as in the thin plate theory. This fact gives much more
computational effort for the analysis of mindlin plate problems than for thin plate problems

The studies on elastic behavior of plates started with the Kirchhoff’s plate theory [105]. This theory, also known as
thin plate theory or CLPT, ignores the transverse shear deformation. This implies that a straight line normal to the
plate’s mid-plane remains straight, normal to the mid-plane and undeformed.

classical plate theory, however, overpredicts all the vibration frequencies when the plate is relatively thick or when
accurate solutions for higher modes of vibration are desired for thin plates.

The assumption regarding normals to the midplane remaining normal to the deformed plane amounts to neglecting
the effect of transverse shear deformation. This effect, together with the rotary inertia effect, become important
when the plate is relatively thick or when accurate solutions for higher modes of vibration are desired.

classical plate theory, however, overpredicts all the vibration frequencies for thick plates, and the higher frequencies
for thin plates, as it neglects the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia.

A plate is typically considered to be thin when the ratio of its thickness to representative lateral dimension (e.g.,
circular plate diameter, square plate side length) is 1/20 or less.
In fact, most plates used in practical applications satisfy this criterion. This usually permits one to use classical, thin
plate theory to obtain a fundamental (i.e., lowest) frequency with good accuracy. However, the second frequency of
a plate with thickness ratio of 1/20, determined by thin plate theory, will not be accurate. It will be somewhat too
high. And the higher frequencies will typically be much too high- too high to be of practical value. The inaccuracies
described above are largely eliminated by use of the Mindlin theory, for it does include the effects of additional plate
flexibility due to shear deformation, and additional plate inertia due to rotations (supplementing the translational
inertia). Both effects decrease the frequencies. There are still other effects not accounted for by the Mindlin theory
(e.g., stretching in the thickness direction, warping of the normals to the midplane), but these are typically
unimportant for the lower frequencies until very thick plates are encountered. For such situations a three-
dimensional analysis should be used.

The shortcoming of the thin plate theory forced researchers to develop more refined plate theories like shear
deformation theories.

In ship and offshore structures, there is many local structure system formed of relatively thick plates and/ or double
wall panels.

For the vibration analysis of such structures Mindlin plate theory (FSDT), which includes the effects shear
deformation and rotatory inertia, is usually adopted. (strongly recommonded).

The inclusion of shear deformation effects in mindlin plate theory means that there exist three basic reference
quantities i.e. a flexural deflection and cross-sectional rotations in two directions, rather than the flexural deflection
alone as in the thin plate theory.

This fact gives much more computational effort for the analysis of mindlin plate problems than for thin plate
problems