On optimizing the in-plane vibration frequency of laminated plates

Abstract

Laminated composite plates are known as tailoring materials, since structural characteristics can be designed by properly placing fiber orientation angles in the layers. The objective of this work is to study three types of optimization problems on in-plane vibration of symmetrically laminated angle-ply rectangular plates. It considers the maximization of the in-plane lowest first frequencies, secondly minimization of the first frequency, and thirdly maximization of the difference between the first and second frequencies. In numerical experiments, some interesting observations are found, and discussions are made to make effective use of the findings for vibration design.