Transient dynamic and damping analysis of laminated anisotropic plates using a refined plate theory

A refined model is presented for the linear transient dynamic and damping analysis of laminated anisotropic composite plates. Experimental measurements of specific damping capacity of unidirectional composite beams are used to predict the specific damping capacity of laminated composite plates in various modes of vibration. A finite element idealization is adopted, and the quadratic Lagrangian element is used together with selective/reduced integration. A viscous damping approximation is then employed to calculate the damped transient response of laminated plates. The effects of transverse shear deformation, symmetry condition, boundary conditions, anisotropy, aspect ratio, fibre orientation and the lamination scheme on specific damping capacity and damped transient response are investigated. Realistic examples illustrate the importance of these parameters. The present results agree very closely with experimental results available in the literature and can serve as a benchmark for future comparison by other investigators.