The Dynamic Analysis of Laminated Composite Plates Resting on Viscoelastic Foundations Subjected to a Moving Harmonic Load Using Moving Element Method

In this paper, a recently developed method, namely Moving Element Method (MEM) is employed to investigate dynamic responses of the laminated composite plates resting on viscoelastic foundations subjected to a moving harmonic load based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). By using the MEM method, the laminated composite plate is discretized into "moving-elements", which are not physical elements fixed to the plate but are conceptual elements that "flow" with the moving load through the plate. The governing equations of motions as well as the structural matrices of moving elements are formulated in a coordinate system attached to the moving load. Thus, the proposed method eliminates the need of keeping track the location of moving load with respect to the plate. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed method are verified by comparing its numerical solutions with those of other available numerical results. A parametric examination is also conducted to determine the effects of various parameters on the dynamic responses of the laminated composite plates resting on viscoelastic foundations subjected to a moving harmonic load.