Experimental and numerical investigation of free vibration behaviour of sandwich plates with natural-fibre-based laminated composite cores

This article presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the free vibration behaviour of fibre-reinforced composite sandwich plates. The proposed symmetrical three-layer sandwich plate contains aluminium as face layers and jute/epoxy laminated composite as a core layer. The experimental phase of this research involves the fabrication of jute/epoxy composite sandwich plates and the measurement of their natural frequencies through a non-destructive modal testing approach using the impact hammer technique. A numerical model is developed using the finite element method in the ABAQUS platform to simulate the free vibration response of the jute/epoxy composite sandwich plates. Comparisons between the experimental and numerical results demonstrate a good agreement, validating the accuracy and reliability of the finite element model. Furthermore, an extensive numerical investigation is conducted to examine the impact of various geometric and structural parameters on the dynamic response of the sandwich plates. The study’s outcomes aid in designing and optimising composite sandwich structures, facilitating the development of sustainable and high-performance engineering solutions.