Free Vibration of Laminated Composite Circular Arches by Dynamic Stiffness Analysis

Abstract

The dynamic stiffness method for studying the vibration characteristics of the laminated composite shallow circular arches is introduced in this article. The exact dynamic stiffness matrix is formulated from the analytical solutions of the governing differential equations of motion of the laminated circular arches, based on second-order shear deformation theory. The application of the present method is illustrated by miscellaneous numerical examples, in which the effects of material orthotropy, the lamination scheme, the curvature ratio, length-to-thickness ratio, and boundary condition upon the natural frequencies of the composite arches are investigated. Compared to those solutions available in the literature, the numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the present method.