Dynamic Stability Analysis of Square Isotropic/Laminated Composite Plates With Circular Cutout Subjected to Non-Uniform Follower Edge Load With Damping

Abstract

The present investigation deals with the study of vibration and dynamic instability behaviour of square isotropic/laminated composite plates with circular hole subjected to partially distributed follower edge forces using finite element method. The first order shear deformation theory is used to model the plate, considering the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia. The modal transformation technique is applied to the resulting equilibrium equation for subsequent analysis. Structural damping is introduced into the system in terms of equivalent viscous damping to study the significance of damping on stability characteristics. The effects of cutout size, load width, boundary condition, ply orientation, direction control of the load and damping parameters are considered for the stability behaviour of the plates. The results show that under follower loading, the system is susceptible to instability due to flutter alone or due to both flutter and divergence, depending on system parameters.