Nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of shear deformable laminated plates in hygrothermal environments

Abstract This paper deals with hygrothermal effects on the nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of shear deformable laminated plates. The temperature field considered is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the plate surface and through the plate thickness. The material properties of the composite are affected by the variation of temperature and moisture, and based on a micro-mechanical model. The formulations are based on higher-order shear deformation plate theory and general von Karman-type equation of motion, which includes hygrothermal effects. The equations of motion are solved by an improved perturbation technique to determine nonlinear frequencies and dynamic responses of shear deformable antisymmetric angle-ply and unsymmetric cross-ply laminated plates. The numerical illustrations concern the nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of the shear deformable laminated plates under different sets of hygrothermal environmental conditions. Effects of temperature rise, the degree of moisture concentration, and fiber volume fraction on natural frequencies, nonlinear to linear frequency ratios and dynamic responses are studied.