Dynamic characteristics of twisted composite panels

Abstract

Composite materials are being increasingly used in turbo-machinery blades because of their higher specific strength and stiffness, and these can be tailored through the variation of fiber orientation and stacking sequence to obtain an efficient design. Thus the dynamic characteristics of laminated composite twisted cantilever panels are of great importance in engineering applications. Analytical solutions are seldom capable of accurately analyzing these types of problems because of the complex orthographic nature of material and geometry. The finite element method (FEM) is the most commonly used numerical technique. The present research work deals with the review of finite element formulation of dynamic problems applied to orthotropic laminated plates and to carry out a parametric FEM analysis of laminated composite twisted curved panels. The effects of parameters like twist angle, stacking sequence and thickness, lamination angle, and orthotropic ratio on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of twisted cantilevered composite plates are investigated.