FREE VIBRATION OF ISOTROPIC HALF-ELLIPTIC PLATES OF LINEARLY VARYING THICKNESS WITH CLAMPED CURVED BOUNDARY

Two-dimensional boundary characteristic orthonormal polynomials are used in Rayleigh-Ritz method to study the title problem. In general, it is found that this method gives belter results than the other traditional method such as boundary integral equation methods, Spline methods, Chebyshev collocation method, Frobenius method etc. The thickness is taken 10 be linearly varying in two orthogonal directions. Comparisons En particular cases have been made with the existing results in the literature. Convergence of frequencies of al least up to five significant figures is obtained. Results showing the variation in frequencies with taper parameters and aspect ratios arc presented in tabular form. Mode shapes are shown using three-dimensional graphs of plates in displaced configurations.