A modified Fourier solution for vibration analysis of moderately thick laminated annular sector plates with general boundary conditions, internal radial line and circumferential arc supports

In this paper, a modified Fourier solution based on the first-order shear deformation theory is developed for the free vibration problem of moderately thick composite laminated annular sector plates with general boundary conditions, internal radial line and circumferential arc supports. In this solution approach, regardless of boundary conditions, the displacement and rotation components of the sector plate are written in the form of the trigonometric series expansion in which several auxiliary terms are added to ensure and accelerate the convergence of the series. Each of the unknown coefficients is taken as the generalized coordinate and determined using the Raleigh-Ritz method. The accuracy and reliability of the present solution are validated by the comparison with the results found in the literature, and numerous new results for composite laminated annular sector plates considering various kinds of boundary conditions are presented. Comprehensive studies on the effects of elastic restraint parameters, layout schemes and locations of line/arc supports are also made.New results are obtained for laminated annular sector plates subjected to elastic boundary restraints and arbitrary internal radial line and circumferential arc supports in both directions, and they may serve as benchmark solutions for future researches. © 2017 F. Pang et al., published by De Gruyter Open.