Analytical Solutions for Free Vibration and Buckling of Composite Beams Using a Higher Order Beam Theory

To satisfy the interfacial shear force continuity conditions, a new model is proposed for the two-layer composite beam with partial interaction by modifying Reddy's higher order beam theory. The governing differential equations for free vibration and buckling are formulated using the Hamilton's principle, the natural frequencies and axial forces are thus analytically obtained by Laplace transform technique. The analytical results are verified through the comparison with those of several other models common in use; and the presented model is found to be a finer one than the Reddy's. A parametric study is also performed to investigate the effects of geometry and material parameters.