Abstract
This paper presents free vibration of orthotropic thick plates using the spline element method based on the Reddy's shear deformation theory. The orthotropic plates are made of Aragonite crystal and wood (sitka spruce). To demonstrate the convergence and accuracy of the present method, several examples are solved, and results are compared with those obtained by other numerical methods based on the theory of elasticity, high-order shear deformation plate theory and Mindlin plate theory. Good convergence and accuracy are obtained. The effects of thickness/width ratio, shear elastic modulus ratio and elastic modulus ratio on frequency parameters of orthotropic thick plates are investigated. Lastly, the applicable limitation of the Reddy's shear deformation theory for strong orthotropic plates is also shown.
