Vibration analysis of non-circular curved panels by the differential quadrature method

Free-vibration characteristics of cantilever non-circular curved panels are analyzed by using the differential quadrature method (DQM) in this paper. The equations of motion of a curved panel are based on the Love's hypothesis and are expressed in an orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinate system. By applying the differential quadrature formulation and the proposed modified relationships for specified boundary conditions, the free-vibration equations of motion of the curved panel are transformed to a set of algebraic equations. Natural frequencies of a cantilever flat plate and a circular curved panel are obtained for verifying the applicability of the present approach. Good convergent trend and accuracy are observed. Effects of shallowness, thickness and aspect ratios on the natural frequencies of a cantilever curved panel are also investigated. Furthermore, natural frequencies of parabolic curved panels are obtained. In all cases studied, the efficiency and convenience of the DQM are illustrated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.