Vibration analysis of tapered composite beams using a higher-order finite element. Part II: parametric study

Tapered composite beams are increasingly being used in various engineering applications. Different types of ply drop-off can be achieved in tapered beams in practice depending on the application. The objective of the present work is to conduct an investigation of the undamped free vibration response of such tapered composite beams. A higher-order finite element formulation has been developed in Part I of the present work for vibration analysis of tapered composite beams based on classical laminated plate theory. In the present part of the work, the developed formulation is used for the analysis of various types of tapered composite beams. A parametric study on tapered composite beams is conducted, considering the effects of taper angle, types of taper, boundary conditions, laminate configuration and geometric parameters on the undamped natural frequencies.