Axisymmetric free vibration of thick annular plates

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the axisymmetric free vibration of moderately thick annular plates using the differential quadrature metho d (DQM). The plates are described by Mindlin's first-order shear-deformatio n theory. The first five axisymmetric natural frequencies are presented for uniform annular plates, of various radii and thickness ratios, with nine p ossible combinations of free, clamped and simply supported boundary conditi ons at the inner and outer edges of the plates. The accuracy of the method is established by comparing the DQM results with some exact and finite elem ent numerical solutions and, therefore, the present DQM results could serve as a benchmark for future reference. The convergence characteristics of th e method for thick plate eigenvalue problems are investigated and the versa tility and simplicity of the method is established. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.