VIBRATION OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE ARCHES WITH DEEP CURVATURE AND ARBITRARY BOUNDARIES

Exact solutions for the title problem are presented for general bounda ry conditions. No numerical frequencies are presented using these solu tions, instead natural frequencies are obtained using the Ritz method. This method has the important shortcoming that the assumed displaceme nts have to be changed when various boundary conditions are treated. T his shortcoming is overcome in this paper by assuming the displacement functions as polynomials having a general form. Accurate frequencies are obtained for arbitrary boundary conditions. The results can be use ful for designers, engineers, and researchers who are interested in th e problem. The method can also be generalized to plate- and shell-like structures.