Vibration Analysis of Composite and Sandwich Structural Systems
Summary
Composite and sandwich structural systems combine high-strength face sheets with lightweight cores to achieve superior stiffness-to-weight ratios and tailored dynamic performance. Vibration analysis of these assemblies addresses anisotropic material behaviour, interface phenomena and core-face coupling under dynamic loads. Analytical approaches often invoke higher-order shear deformation theories to capture transverse shear and normal stresses in thick cores, while numerical methods such as finite element, wave-based and exact dynamic stiffness formulations enable accurate prediction of natural frequencies and mode shapes for complex geometries and boundary conditions. Experimental techniques—ranging from laser vibrometry to shaker excitation—validate damping characteristics and reveal non-linearities arising from material heterogeneity or geometric imperfections. Applications span aerospace rotating blades, marine hull panels, civil engineering floor systems and energy-absorbing components, where control of resonance and attenuation of unwanted vibrations are critical to structural integrity and service life.
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Vibration Analysis of Composite and Sandwich Structural Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in vibration analysis of composite and sandwich structural systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Composite material: A multi-phase assembly in which distinct constituents are combined to achieve properties not attainable by individual materials alone.
Sandwich structure: A layered system comprising two stiff, thin face sheets bonded to a lightweight, thicker core to enhance flexural rigidity.
Functionally graded material (FGM): A composite whose material properties vary continuously through the thickness to improve stress distribution and thermal resistance.
Natural frequency: The intrinsic frequency at which a structure tends to oscillate when disturbed and released in the absence of damping.
Mode shape: The spatial deformation pattern of a structure corresponding to a particular natural frequency.
Shear deformation theory: A theory that accounts for transverse shear strains in plate and shell models, especially relevant for thick or layered systems.
References
- A complex solution on the dynamic response of sandwich graphene‐reinforced aluminum‐based composite beams with copper face sheets under two moving constant loads on an elastic foundation. International Journal of Mechanical System Dynamics (2023).
- Traveling wave analysis of rotating functionally graded graphene platelet reinforced nanocomposite cylindrical shells with general boundary conditions. Results in Physics (2019).
- Free Vibration Analysis of Rotating Pretwisted Functionally Graded Sandwich Blades. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering (2018).
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