Journal of Sound and Vibration (1995) 181(5), 839–850

PR EDICTIO N O F NATUR AL MO DES O F

LAMINATED CO MPO SITE PLATES BY A
FINITE ELEMENT TECHNIQUE
B.-G. HU AND M. A. DOKAINISH
Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada L8S 4L7
AND
W. M. MANSOUR
Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada L8S 4L7

(Received 29 June 1993, and in final form 28 January 1994)

In this paper an investigation is reported into the natural frequencies and modes of
laminated composite plates. The finite element approach in this paper shows a good
agreement with the available closed form solutions. Three distinguished features of
laminated plates are illustrated and discussed; namely, the directional preference of nodal
lines, the shift of order of the first in-plane vibration modes, and the variation of mode
shapes due to the stacking angle. The in-plane vibrations are obtained. They have not been
reported in the literature before.

1. INTRODUCTION
Composite materials are now encountered in various engineering applications where
weight saving is of paramount importance. Of the many kinds of composite configurations,
fibre-reinforced laminated composites are the most popular because of their ability to o}er
outstanding strength, sti}ness, low specific gravity and unique flexibility, which satisfy the
requirements of a large number of structural applications.
In recent years, the Higher order Shear Deformation Theory (HSDT) as well as the
Layer-wise Shear Angle Theory (LSAT) have been developed by Owen and Li [1, 2] and
Kant and Mallikarjuna [3] to improve the predictions of laminate static and dynamic
behaviour. However, these theories tend to be cubersome and computationally demanding.
The first order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) is considered more e.cient for the
prediction of the global responses, i.e., the transverse displacements, the free vibration
frequencies, and the buckling loads as reported by Reddy [4].
Because of the simplicity of the FSDT model, and its economic and globally accurate
solutions, the authors of this paper have used it to develop a finite element approach to
predict the natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes of laminate composite
plates. Numerical studies have then been conducted on various lamination arrangements
and boundary conditions to investigate the natural modes of laminated composite plates,
and to highlight their di}erences compared to isotropic plates.

2. DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT APPROACH

The FSDT is used to develop a finite element approach for the prediction of the natural
frequencies and modes of laminated composite plates. The formulation is essentially
839
0022–460X/95/150839 + 12 $08.00/0 7 1995 Academic Press Limited
840 B.-G. HU ET AL .
similar to that of Reddy [5], except for the evaluation of the mass matrix [M]. The present
model takes into account the coupled normal–rotary inertia e}ects.

2.1. KINEMATICS
The displacement field can be described by (a list of nomenclature is given in the
Appendix)
u(x, y, z, t) = u 0(x, y, t) ⌧ zcx (x, y, t),
v(x, y, z, t) = v 0(x, y, t) ⌧ zcy (x, y, t),
w(x, y, z, t) = w 0(x, y, t). (1)
The associated strain components are
ox = ox0 + zkx , oy = oy0 + zky , oz = 0,
gyz = cy + w,y , gxz = cx + w,x , gxy = gxy
0
+ zkxy . (2a)
In these expressions, one defines

89 8 9
ox0 u,x0
{o } = oy =
0 0
v,y0 , (2b)
0
gxy u,y + v,x0
0

and

898 9
kx cx,x
{k} = ky = cy,y . (2c)
kxy cx,y + cy,x

2.2. STRESS–STRAIN RELATIONS

The constitutive equations between stress and strain in the global co-ordinate systems
are given by
F
G x J
s
G K Q
G 11
Q 12 0 0 Q 16 L F ox J
G G G
G y G
s Q
G 12 Q 22 0 0 Q 26 G G oy G
g syz h = G 0 0 Q 44 Q 45 0 G g gyz h, (3)
G sxz G G 0 0 Q 45 Q 55 0 G G gxz G
G G G G G G
f sxy j k Q 16 Q 26 0 0 Q 66 l f gxy j
where Q ij is the term of the reduced elastic moduli matrix which was described by Vinson
and Sierakowski [6].
The following definitions for stress-resultant expressions are used:

8 9 89
(m)
Nx , Mx
g
N zm + 1 sx
({N}, {M}) = Ny , My = s sy (1, z) dz, (4a)
Nxy , Mxy m=1 zm sxy

6 7 g 6 7
N zm + 1 (m)
Qx sxz
{Q} = = s dz. (4b)
Qy m=1 zm
syz
After integration, these relations are written in a matrix form which defines the stress
resultant/strain relations of the laminate and is given by

8 9 89
{N} {o 0}
{M} = [D ] {k} , (5)
{Q} {g}
in which {g} = {gxz , gyz }T.
 LAMINATED PLATES 841
2.3. EQUATIONS OF MOTION
The equations of motion in terms of stress and moment resultants are given by
Nx,x + Nxy,y = I1 ü 0 + I2 c⌥x , Nxy,x + Ny,y = I1 v̈ 0 + I2 c⌥y , Qx,x + Qy,y = q + I1 ẅ,
Mx,x + Mxy,y ⌧ Qx = I2 ü + I3 c⌥x , 0
Mxy,x + My,y ⌧ Qy = I2 v̈ 0 + I3 c⌥y . (6)
Here the inertia coe.cients can be written as

g g
h/2 N zm + 1

(I1 , I2 , I3 ) = (1, z, z 2)r dz = s r (m) (1, z, z 2) dz. (7)

⌧h/2 m=1 zm

2.4. FINITE ELEMENT MATRICES

The element sti}ness matrix [K e ] is expressed as

[K e ] =
g A
[B]T[D ][B] dA, (8)

in which [B] = [[B1 ], [B2 ], . . . , [Bn ]], and [Bi ] is defined as

K
G
1Ni /1x 0 0 0 0 L
G
G 0 1N i /1y 0 0 0 G
G 1Ni /1y 1Ni /1x 0 0 0 G
G 0 0 0 1Ni /1x 0 G
[Bi ] = G G, (9)
G 0 0 0 0 1Ni /1y
G
G 0 0 0 1Ni /1y 1Ni /1x G
G 0 0 1Ni /1x Ni 0 G
G 0 0 /1y 0 N G
k 1N i i l
where the Ni are the shape functions of the ordinary isoparametric element, and n is the
number of nodes in an element. The element mass matrix is

[M e] =
g A
[N]T[m][N] dA, (10)

in which [N] = [[N1 ], [N2 ], . . . , [Nn ]], and

K
G
I1 0 L
G
0 I2 0
G 0 I1G 0 0 I2
[m] = G 0 0 I1 0 0 G. (11)
G I2 0 0 I3 0 G
G G
k 0 I2 0 0 I3 l

2.5. GOVERNING EQUATIONS

The governing free vibrations corresponding to the present shear deformation theory
are given in matrix form:
([K] ⌧ v 2[M]){f} = {0}. (12)

3. STRATEGY OF THE FINITE ELEMENT APPROACH

Nine-node elements of the Lagrangian family, and four-node and eight-node elements
of the serendipity family are provided for in the present program. The generalized
842 B.-G. HU ET AL .
displacements of each node are considered to be given by u 0, v 0, w, cx and cy . All elements
allow transverse shear deformation. The elements are conforming and satisfy continuity
requirements of the type C 0.
A selective integration scheme has been employed. For example, when a four-node
element is used, the 2 2 Gauss rule employed for membrane and flexure, while the 1 1
Gauss rule is employed for shear contributions. When an eight-node or nine-node element
is used, the 3 3 and the 2 2 Gauss rule are applied, respectively. The shear correction
factors are taken to be 5/6 because of the rectangular section of the plates.
The subspace iteration method is used to solve the eigenvalue problem. For a free–free
plate, the sti}ness matrix [K] is singular and the analysis cannot be continued. In such a
case, a shifting technique, as reported by Bathe [7], is employed.
Two types of materials were chosen for the numerical studies of undamped free
vibrations. They are characterized by the following dimensionaless material properties: (a)
isotropic (typical of metallic materials)—E1 /E2 = 1·0, G12 /E2 = 1/{2(1 + m12 )}, m12 = 0·30;
(b) material 1 (typical of graphite–epoxy for orthotropic)—E1 /E2 = 40, G12 /E2 = 0·6,
G23 /E2 = 0·5, m12 = 0·25.
To facilitate comparisons of the results for plates with di}erent dimensions, the
dimensionless fundamental frequency ṽ was used in the analysis [5], which is defined as
ṽ = va 2zr/E2 h 2. Since v is proportional to (E2 /r)1/2, ṽ is independent of the values of
the elastic modulus E2 and the mass density r. Consequently, E2 and r are set of unity
for convenience in the computations.
The geometry of the laminated plate is shown in Figure 1. A full plate with 4 4 mesh
configuration and nine-node plate elements were used in the numerical investigation. All
plates were subjected to one of the following boundary conditions, as illustrated in Figure
2: (a) BC–free, a completely free plate; (b) BC–clamped, a four-edge clamped plate; (c)
BC–S1, a simply supported plate free of in-plane displacements normal to the boundary;
(d) BC–S2, a simply supported plate free of in-plane displacements tangent to the
boundary.
All computations were carried out using FORTRAN-77 in double precision on a
Silicon-Graphics workstation.

4. NUMERICAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results of the free vibrations of a four-layer, antisymmetric angle-ply,
[45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°] square plate with BC–S1 are given in Table 1, together with the
results reported by Reddy [5], Kant and Mallikarjuna [3] and the closed form solution by

Figure 1. The laminated plate geometry and the co-ordinate system.

 LAMINATED PLATES 843

Figure 2. The boundary conditions of the plates. (a) Free, BC–free; (b) clamped, BC–clamped; (c) simply
supported type 1, BC–S1; (d) simply supported type 2, BC–S2.

Bert and Chen [8]. It is obvious that the strategy developed by the present authors gives
reasonably accurate results.
A typical portrait of the modes of a four-layer [45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°] square plate with
BC–S2 is shown in Figure 3. In the transverse vibration modes, the fine solid lines represent
the nodal lines. In the in-plane vibration modes, the dotted lines display vibration shapes
of the corresponding fine solid lines. The mode numbers and the corresponding
non-dimensional frequencies for Figure 3 are listed in Table 2. The values for (m, n) are
the numbers associated with the transverse half-waves in the plate along the horizontal
and vertical directions, respectively. In the case in which the nodal lines are straight lines

TABLE 1
ṽ of a simply supported square plate, a/h = 10, Material 1, stacking sequence:
[45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°], BC–S1, NDFPN = 5, where NDFPN is the number of degrees of
freedom per node = (u 0, v 0, w, cx , cy ), P = planar vibration modes, and values in parentheses
are percentage deviations from the exact solution
Reddy [5], Kant [3], Present authors,
half plate, full plate, full plate,
2 2, 4 4, 4 4, Bert [8],
(m, n) eight-node nine-node nine-node exact
(1, 1) 18·26 (⌧1·08) 18·45 (⌧0·054) 18·47 (0·054) 18·46
P — — 34·57 —
(1, 2) 35·59 (2·065) 34·54 (⌧0·946) 35·02 (0·430) 34·87
(2, 2) — 49·99 (⌧1·049) 50·65 (0·257) 50·52
(1, 3) 54·37 (0·184) 53·87 (⌧0·737) 55·48 (2·230) 54·27
(2, 3) 70·32 (4·690) 65·08 (⌧3·112) 67·77 (0·893) 67·17
P — — 73·01 —
(1, 4) 79·32 (5·367) 75·25 (⌧0·004) 77·26 (2·630) 75·28
(3, 3) 99·60 (20·23) 81·99 (⌧1·026) 83·01 (0·205) 82·84
(2, 4) — 85·05 (⌧0·258) 84·98 (⌧0·340) 85·27
844 B.-G. HU ET AL .

Figure 3. The mode shapes of plate with [45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°], BC–S2; see Table 2 for more details.

parallel to the co-ordinate axes, the values (m, n) are reported. In other cases, the modes
become complicated. For example, Modes 6 and 7 in Figure 3 correspond to the
expressions of (1, 3) ⌧ (3, 1) and (1, 2) + (3, 1), respectively. Those values for (m, n) are
not easily extracted using the finite element technique.
In the reported example, a homogeneous density is assumed. For this reason, the inertia
coupling term I2 vanishes. It may appear in the case of hybrid laminations. To assess the
influence of the presence of I2 , it was chosen to be in the form I2 = rh 2 for the present
plate. The di}erence was found to be more pronounced for large values of the ratio a/h.
Generally, the e}ect was found to be small and thus I2 can be neglected.

TABLE 2
Mode numbers and the non-dimensional frequencies for Figure 3: P = planar ( = unknown
Mode Non-dimensional Mode Non-dimensional
number frequency (m, n) number frequency (m, n)
1 18·94 (1, 1) 11 76·93 (
2 34·56 P 12 76·93 (
3 34·99 ( 13 83·14 (3, 3)
4 34·99 ( 14 84·94 (
5 50·65 (2, 2) 15 85·14 (
6 55·42 ( 16 95·32 (
7 55·78 ( 17 95·32 (
8 67·70 ( 18 96·70 (
9 67·70 ( 19 96·70 (
10 72·97 P 20 106·4 (4, 4)
 LAMINATED PLATES 845
The natural modes of laminated plates are normally influenced by material properties,
boundary conditions, geometry and the lamination arrangement. The last factor provides
the designer with more flexibility optimally to synthesize the characteristics—say, the
sti}ness, the fundamental frequencies, and the corresponding mode shapes—of the
designed structures. The mode shapes of laminated plates have some particular
characteristics which are di}erent from isotropic plates. They are discussed as given after.

4.1. DIRECTIONAL PREFERENCE

Directional preference, in vibrating plates, manifests itself when the plate exhibits a
preference to form lower frequency modes in a particular direction. This was noticed in
the case of an orthotropic square plate, i.e., u = 0° for all layers, where the (1, 2) and the
(1, 3) modes were found to be associated with frequencies which are lower than the (2, 1)
mode. This feature can be explained by comparing the structural properties, boundary
conditions and dimensions of the plate in the x and y directions. For the orthotropic plate,
and the overall bending sti}ness with respect to the y direction is weaker than in the x
direction. Therefore, the plate tends to form nodal lines in the y direction first. In contrast,
an isotropic square plate has the same frequency for both the (2, 1) and the (1, 2) modes.
The degree of directional preference can be controlled by the lamination sequence of
the plate. A four-layer [0°/90°/90°/0°] plate, as shown in Figure 4, exhibits a lesser degree
of directional preference than a similar orthotropic plate. Referring to Table 3, the (2, 1)
mode is next to the (1, 2) mode but is di}erent in frequency. A four-layer [0°/90°/0°/90°]
plate, as shown in Figure 5, does not exhibit directional preference. This can be seen for
the (1, 2) and (2, 1) modes which appear at the same frequency (Table 4). This example

Figure 4. The mode shapes of plate with [0°/90°/90°/0°], BC–S2; see Table 3 for more details.
846 B.-G. HU ET AL .
TABLE 3
Mode numbers and the non-dimensional frequencies for Figure 4: P = planar
Mode Non-dimensional Mode Non-dimensional
number frequency (m, n) number frequency (m, n)
1 15·15 (1, 1) 11 71·25 (1, 4)
2 24·34 P 12 75·14 (3, 3)
3 24·34 P 13 77·90 (2, 4)
4 27·33 (1, 2) 14 82·74 (4, 1)
5 37·05 (2, 1) 15 85·50 (4, 2)
6 43·59 (2, 2) 16 88·98 (3, 4)
7 48·04 (1, 3) 17 92·32 (4, 3)
8 58·66 (2, 3) 18 100·6 (4, 4)
9 60·65 (3, 1) 19 106·9 (1, 5)
10 64·76 (3, 2) 20 111·1 (2, 5)

indicates that if all structural properties, boundary conditions and dimensions remain
unchanged when x is exchanged for y and allowing z:⌧z, the plate will not show
directional preference. In this case, there may exist two possible mode shapes for the same
frequency.

4.2. SHIFT OF ORDER OF THE FIRST IN-PLANE VIBRATION MODE

In addition to the transverse vibrations of the plate, a number of in-plane vibrations
were also detected. In Figure 6 it is shown that the first in-plane vibration mode is
essentially the seventh fundamental frequency; ṽ = 32·94 for the isotropic plate. It shifts

Figure 5. The mode shapes of plate with [0°/90°/0°/90°], BC–S2; see Table 4 for more details.
 LAMINATED PLATES 847
TABLE 4
Mode numbers and the non-dimensional frequencies for Figure 5: P = planar, ( = unknown
Mode Non-dimensional Mode Non-dimensional
number frequency (m, n) number frequency (m, n)
1 14·93 (1, 1) 11 78·47 (3, 3)
2 24·34 P 12 79·94 (
3 24·34 P 13 79·94 (
4 33·67 (1, 2) 14 84·73 (
5 33·67 (2, 1) 15 84.73 (
6 45·29 (2, 2) 16 93·95 (3, 4)
7 57·12 (1, 3) 17 93·95 (4, 3)
8 57·12 (3, 1) 18 103·7 (4, 4)
9 64·46 (2, 3) 19 114·6 (1, 5)
10 64·46 (3, 2) 20 114·6 (5, 1)

to become the fourth, ṽ = 31·45 for the orthotropic plate. It again changes to become the
second; ṽ = 34·57 for the [45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°] plate.
The values of the frequencies associated with the first in-plane vibration mode for the
above three cases are almost equal. The change of the order of the first in-plane vibration
mode relative to the other fundamental frequencies is critical and is mainly due to the
remarkable shifts of some bending modes. For instance, the ṽ corresponding to the (1, 2)

Figure 6. (a) The shift in the in-plane vibration mode of the square plate; BC–S1. In-plane vibration,
[45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°]: (a) first mode; (b) second mode, (c) third mode. (d) Orthotropic, first mode. (e) Isotropic,
first mode. See Table 5 for more details.
848 B.-G. HU ET AL .
TABLE 5
Mode and code numbers for Figure 6
(m, n) Code (m, n) Code (m, n) Code (m, n) Code
(1, 1) 1 (3, 1) 6 (3, 3) 11 (4, 4) 16
(1, 2) 2 (2, 3) 7 (2, 4) 12 (1, 5) 17
(2, 1) 3 (3, 2) 8 (4, 2) 13 (5, 1) 18
(2, 2) 4 (1, 4) 9 (3, 4) 14 (2, 5) 19
(1, 3) 5 (4, 1) 10 (4, 3) 15 (3, 5) 20

mode (code 2 in Table 5) is 13·87 for the isotropic plate. For the four-layer
[45°/⌧45°/45°/⌧45°] plate this frequency shifts to a much higher value; 35·02, as shown
in Figures 6. As a result, the first in-plane vibration becomes a low vibration mode which
is associated with the second natural frequency of the laminated plate.

Figure 7. The contours of a four-layer [u/⌧u]s free–free plate for the first mode: a/b = 2, a/h = 10, BC–free,
material 1. (a) u = 0; ṽ = 9·278; (b) u = 15°, ṽ = 13·77; (c) u = 30°, ṽ = 14·36; (d) u = 45°, ṽ = 9·481; (e)
u = 60°, ṽ = 7·081; (f) u = 75°, ṽ = 6·369; (g) u = 90°, ṽ = 6·260.
 LAMINATED PLATES 849
4.3. VARIATION OF MODE SHAPES DUE TO STACKING ANGLE
The mode shapes of a laminated plate are dependent on the stacking angle, u. This is
demonstrated in Figure 7, which shows the contours of the first mode of a four-layer
[u/⌧u/]s , free–free rectangular plate. The boundaries separating the shaded and unshaded
areas are essentially the nodal lines and are distinguished by broken lines. In this symmetric
angle-ply plate, each mode shape contains a two-fold (or rotational) symmetry. The axis
of symmetry rotates from the horizontal direction as the lamination angle u increases. The
mode shape of an isotropic plate at the first mode is similar to that in Figure 7(g), in which
the symmetries can be used to reduce computational e}ort by analyzing only one-quarter
or half of the plate, as reported by Reddy [5]. For composite laminated plates, however,
anisotropic e}ects sometimes do not allow this simplification to be applied, even though
certain symmetries appear to be recognized. In such cases, the full structure has to be used
in the analysis.

5. CONCLUSIONS
A finite element approach has been developed using the First order Shear Deformation
Theory for the analysis of free vibrations of laminated plates. The simulation results
showed good agreement with the closed form solution. In-plane vibrations have been
investigated. They have not been reported before in the literature.
The numerical examples showed that the first in-plane vibration mode may manifest
itself as a critical low order natural vibration node, i.e., the second, for laminated plates.
Since the first in-plane vibration mode of a laminated plate may often shift to a relatively
lower order, it is important for the structural designer to evaluate in-plane vibration modes
as well as bending vibration modes.
The directional preference, shift of order of the in-plane vibration modes, and the
variation of mode shapes have been discussed for laminated plates.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The financial support received from the Manufacturing Research Corporation of
Ontario, under Grant number 9-96240, is gratefully acknowledged.

REFERENCES
1. D. R. J. OWEN and Z. H. LI 1987 Computers and Structures 26, 907–914. A refined analysis of
laminated plates by finite element displacement methods—I: fundamentals of static analysis.
2. D. R. J. OWEN and Z. H. LI 1987 Computers and Structures 26, 915–923. A refined analysis of
laminated plates by finite element displacement methods—II: vibration and stability.
3. T. KANT and T. K. MALLIKARJUNA 1989 Computers and Structures 32, 1125–1132. A
higher-order theory for free vibration of unsymmetrically laminated composite and sandwich
plates—finite element evaluations.
4. J. N. REDDY 1990 Shock and Vibration Digest 22, 3–17. A review of refined theories of laminated
composite plates.
5. J. N. REDDY 1979 Journal of Sound and Vibration 66, 567–576. Free vibration of antisymmetric,
angle-ply laminated plates including transverse shear deformation by the finite element method.
6. J. R. VINSON and R. L. SIERAKOWSKI 1987 The Behaviour of Structures Composed of Composite
Materials. The Hague: Martinus Nijho}.
7. K. J. BATHE 1982 Finite Element Procedures in Engineering Analysis. Englewood Cli}s, New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
8. C. W. BERT and T. L. CHEN 1983 International Journal of Solids and Structures 14, 456–473.
E}ect of shear deformation on vibration of antisymmetric angle-ply laminated rectangular
plates.
850 B.-G. HU ET AL .
APPENDIX: NOMENCLATURE
a, b width and length of plate, respectively
A area of an element
[B] strain–displacement matrix
[D ] elasticity matrix
E1 , E2 elastic modulus along the longitudinal and the transverse directions, respectively
G12 , G23 shear moduli relative to the 1–2 plane and to the 2–3 plane, respectively
h thickness of plate
I1 , I2 , I3 normal inertia, coupled normal–rotary inertia and rotary inertia coe.cients,
respectively
[K e], [K] element and global sti}ness matrices, respectively
{M} moment resultant vector
[M e], [M] element and global mass matrices, respectively
(m, n) numbers of transverse vibration waves along the horizontal and vertical directions,
respectively
n nodal number per element
N total number of layers
{N} in-plane resultant force vector
[N] shape function matrix
{Q} transverse shear force resultant vector
[Q] reduced sti}ness matrix in the global co-ordinate system (xyz)
u, v, w displacement components in the x, y and z directions
u 0, v 0, w 0 displacement components of the middle plane
(xyz) global Cartesian co-ordinate system
u stacking angle
gxy , gyz , gzx shear strain components
ox , oy , oz strain (normal) components
ox0 , oy0 , gxy
0
strain components of the middle plane
kx , ky , kxy bending curvatures and twisting, respectively
m12 major Poisson ratio
p (m) mass density of the mth layer
sx , sy , sz components of normal stress
sxy , syz , szx components of shear stress
{f} eigenvector
cx , cy rotation components
v natural circular frequency
v̄ non-dimensional frequency

Superscripts
·· the second time derivative

Subscripts
' the first spatial derivative
1 longitudinal direction of the fibre
2 or 3 transverse direction of the fibre