A Semi-Analytical Approach for the Geometrically Nonlinear Analysis of Skew Plates

Abstract

The present work concerns the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of fully clamped skew plates at large vibration amplitudes. A model based on Hamilton’s principle and spectral analysis has been used to study the large amplitude free vibration problem, reducing the non linear problem to solution of a set of non-linear algebraic equations. Two methods of solution have been adopted, the first method uses an improved version of the Newton-Raphson method, and the second leads to explicit analytical expressions for the higher mode contribution coefficients to the first non-linear mode shape of the skew plate examined. The amplitude dependent fundamental mode shape and the associated non-linear frequencies have been obtained by the two methods and a good convergence has been found. It was found that the non-linear frequencies increase with increasing the amplitude of vibration, which corresponds to the hardening type effect, expected in similar cases, due to the membrane forces induced by the large vibration amplitudes. The non-linear mode exhibits a higher bending stress near to the clamps at large deflections, compared with that predicted by linear theory. Numerical details are presented and the comparison made between the results obtained and previous ones available in the literature shows a satisfactory agreement. Tables of numerical results are given, corresponding to the linear and nonlinear cases for various values of the skew angle θ and various values of the vibration amplitude. These results, similar to those previously published for other plates, are expected to be useful to designers in the need of accurate estimates of the non-linear frequencies, the non linear strains and stresses induced by large vibration amplitudes of skew plates.