Free vibration analyses of multiple delaminated angle-ply composite conical shells – A finite element approach

In this paper, the finite element method is employed to investigate the effects of delamination on free vibration characteristics of graphite–epoxy pretwisted shallow angle-ply composite conical shells. The generalized dynamic equilibrium equation is derived from Lagrange’s equation of motion neglecting Coriolis effect for moderate rotational speeds. The theoretical formulation is based on the Mindlin’s theory and the multi-point constraint algorithm is considered for an eight noded isoparametric plate bending element. The standard eigenvalue problem is solved by applying the QR iteration algorithm. The mode shapes are also depicted for a typical laminate configuration. Non-dimensional natural frequencies obtained are the first known results for the type of analyses carried out here.