Nonlinear responses of a symmetric cross-ply composite laminated cantilever rectangular plate under in-plane and moment excitations

The nonlinear dynamic responses of a composite laminated cantilever rectangular plate under the in-plane and moment excitations are studied. The Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation theory and the von Karman type equations for the geometric nonlinearity are used to establish the governing equations of motion. The nonlinear governing partial differential equations of motion for the composite laminated cantilever rectangular plate are derived by using the Hamilton’s principle, which are transformed into a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system by using the Galerkin approach. A new kind of expression of the displacement functions is given. The case of 1:2 internal resonance and primary parametric resonance is taken into account. The influence of the in-plane and moment excitations on the nonlinear vibrations of the composite laminated cantilever rectangular plate is discussed by using numerical simulation. The numerical results demonstrate that there exist the bifurcation and chaotic motions of the composite laminated cantilever rectangular plate. The nonlinear frequency–response curves of this system under different excitations are investigated to show the relationships between the excitations and the amplitudes of the first two modes.