A generic type of frequency-domain spectral element model for the dynamics of a laminated composite plate

Various solution techniques have been developed in the last decades for accurate prediction of the dynamic responses of a laminated composite structure. The spectral element method (SEM) is well known as an exact solution method that provides extremely accurate dynamic responses even in the high-frequency region. In this study, we develop a spectral element model for a rectangular finite composite plate element. The present spectral element model is developed by modifying the boundary splitting method introduced in the previous studies of the authors. As a result, the four corner nodes of the rectangular finite composite plate element, which were inactive (fixed) in the previous studies, become active. Thus, the present spectral element model can be used as a generic type of finite element, which can be applied to any laminated composite plates with arbitrary boundary conditions. The accuracy and efficiency of the present spectral element model are evaluated by comparing its results with exact solutions and solutions using the commercial finite element analysis package, ANSYS. In addition, the vibration and wave characteristics are numerically investigated by varying the lay-ups of some examples of laminated composite plates with various geometries and boundary conditions.