Analytical and Experimental Study for Vibration of Laminated Rectangular Plates with Point Masses

An analytical method is presented for free vibration of a symmetrically laminated rectangular plate with point masses, and experimental modal analysis is conducted to compare both sets of the frequency data. The problem is solved by an extending Ritz method to include kinetic energy caused by added point masses under any sets of edge conditions, and a frequency equation is derived by minimizing the energy functional. In numerical computation, the accuracy of the solution is studied by convergence test and comparison with the existing result in the specific case. Then, the experimental modal analysis is applied to measure the natural frequencies and mode shapes. The two sets of results are compared, and the validity of both theoretical and experimental approaches is established.