Vibration and stability of cross-ply laminated composite plates according to a global higher-order plate theory

Abstract Natural frequencies and buckling stresses of cross-ply laminated composite plates are analyzed by taking into account the effects of shear deformation, thickness change and rotatory inertia. By using the method of power series expansion of displacement components, a set of fundamental dynamic equations of a two-dimensional higher-order theory for thick rectangular laminates subjected to in-plane stresses is derived through Hamilton's principle. Several sets of truncated approximate theories are applied to solve the eigenvalue problems of a simply supported thick laminated plate. In order to assure the accuracy of the present theory, convergence properties of the lowest natural frequency and buckling stress are examined in detail. Numerical results are compared with those of the published existing theories and FEM solutions. The modal displacement and stress distributions in the thickness direction are obtained and plotted in figures. It is noticed that the present global higher-order approximate theories can predict the natural frequencies, buckling stresses and stresses of thick multilayered composite laminates as accurately as three-dimensional solutions.