A General Analytical Solution for Free Vibration of Rectangular Plates Resting on Fixed Supports and With Attached Masses

Abstract

A comprehensive analytical procedure based on the superposition method is described for establishing the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes of thin plates resting on rigid point supports and with attached masses. Effects of rotary inertia of the attached masses are incorporated into the analysis and are shown to be highly significant. Results of an extensive experimental program are reported and very good agreement is demonstrated between theory and experiment. The analytical procedure has application in numerous contemporary industrial problems, in particular, in the design of solar panels for space vehicles and in the field of electronic packaging.