Free vibration analysis of the laminated composite beams by using DQM

Abstract

In this study, the effects of stacking sequences of composite laminated beams on natural frequencies are investigated using the differential quadrature method (DQM). DQM is an efficient discretization technique for obtaining accurate numerical solutions to initial and/or boundary value problems using a considerably small number of grid points. In this way, a theoretical DQM model for the laminated composite beam has been developed. Some of the results obtained from DQM are compared with the results obtained experimentally. Then, these results are compared with the numerical and experimental results available in the literature. It has been seen that all of the results considered are very close to each other. It has also been concluded that the effective stiffness of the laminated composite beam can be altered through a change in the stacking sequence. This allows tailoring of the material to achieve desired natural frequencies and respective mode shapes without changing its geometry drastically or without increasing its weight. © SAGE Publications 2009.