An exact analytical approach for in-plane and out-of-plane free vibration analysis of thick laminated transversely isotropic plates

Abstract

In this article, the governing equations of motion of thick laminated transversely isotropic plates are derived based on Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory. These equations are exactly converted to four uncoupled equations to study the in-plane and out-of-plane free vibrations of thick laminated plates without any usage of approximate methods. Based on the present analytical approach, exact Levy-type solutions are obtained for thick laminated transversely isotropic plates and, for some boundary conditions, the exact characteristic equations hitherto not reported in the literature are given. Also, the in-plane and out-of-plane deformed mode shapes are plotted for different boundary conditions. The present solutions can accurately predict both the in-plane and out-of-plane natural frequencies and mode shapes of thick laminated transversely isotropic plates.