Nonlinear vibration of laminated plates on an elastic foundation

This paper studies the effects of initial stresses on the nonlinear vibrations of laminated plates on elastic foundations. The nonlinear partial differential equations based on Mindlin plate theory are derived for the nonlinear vibration of laminated plates in a general state of nonuniform initial stress. Both rotary inertia and transverse stress are considered. Using the derived governing equations, the nonlinear vibration behavior of an initially stressed cross-ply plate on a Pasternak or Winkler elastic foundation is studied. The Galerkin's approximate method is applied to the governing partial differential equations to yield ordinary differential equations. The ordinary differential equations are solved by Runge–Kutta method to obtain the ratio of nonlinear frequency to linear frequency. The initial stress is taken to be a combination of a pure bending stress and an extensional stress in the plane of the plate. It is found that the foundation stiffness and initial stresses may result in a drastic change of the nonlinear vibration behavior. The frequency responses of nonlinear vibration are sensitive to the initial stress, vibration amplitude, modulus ratio and foundation stiffness. The effects of various parameters on the nonlinear vibration are discussed.