Application of the dynamic stiffness technique to the in-plane vibrations of plate structures

Abstract In this study the dynamic stiffness technique, which yields “exact” results for a certain class of plate structure, is extended to include in-plane vibrations. Using the equations of motion and edge tractions the stiffness matrix of each component is derived. The resulting stiffness matrices of components are then assembled to yield the dynamic stiffness matrix of a complete structure by using classical finite element techniques. The method is applied to an idealized model of a ship foundation and hull as an example. It is seen that when the in-plane modes are included, the energy level of the plates may either decrease or increase depending on the remoteness of the component to the excited plate.