Free vibration of sandwich plates with laminated faces

Description is given of the development of a spline nite strip method for predicting the natural frequencies and modes of conventional rectangular sandwich plates. The faceplates are treated as being classically thin and may be of composite laminated construction. The core is modelled as a threedimensional body. Finite strip sti ness and mass properties are based on a displacement eld which represents eight fundamental through-thickness displacements as a series of products of longitudinal B-spline functions and crosswise Lagrangian or Hermitian polynominal shape functions. The solution procedure utilizes the e cient superstrip concept in conjunction with the extended Sturm sequencebisection approach. A variety of applications of the developed analysis capability is described which demonstrates the nature of the convergence of the nite strip predictions of natural frequencies and the close comparison of these predictions with available results in the literature, and also the use of the capability in parametric studies