VIBRATION AND STABILITY OF LAMINATED PLATES BASED ON A LOCAL HIGH-ORDER PLATE-THEORY

A local high order deformation theory is used to determine the natural frequencies and buckling loads of laminated composite plates. The modal shear and normal stresses are also evaluated. The displacement fields in this theory are assumed to be piece-wise continuous high order polynomial series, layer by layer or sublaminate by sublaminate in the thickness direction. This theory accounts for the effects of transverse shear and normal deformation. The equations of motion based on this theory are obtained by using Hamilton's principle. The present analytical solutions for the natural frequencies and buckling loads of rectangular cross-ply laminates with fully simple supports are determined by applying the Fourier series expansion method. The present analytical solutions are compared with the three-dimensional elasticity solutions and with analytical solutions obtained from other analyses by global first order and high order lamination theories. The effects of aspect, side-to-thickness, and elastic modulus to shear modulus ratios on the natural frequencies and buckling loads are also studied.