A trigonometric four variable plate theory for free vibration of rectangular composite plates with patch mass

The novelty of this paper is the use of trigonometric four variable plate theory for free vibration analysis of laminated rectangular plate supporting a localized patch mass. By dividing the transverse displacement into bending and shear parts, the number of unknowns and governing equations of the present theory is reduced, and hence, makes it simple to use. The Hamilton's Principle, using trigonometric shear deformation theory, is applied to simply support rectangular plates. Numerical examples are presented to show the effects of geometrical parameters such as aspect ratio of the plate, size and location of the patch mass on natural frequencies of laminated composite plates. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and simple in solving the free vibration behavior of laminated rectangular plate supporting a localized patch mass.