An Analytical Solution on Vibration Reduction and Shear Force Mitigation of Cantilever Mindlin Plates Using Orthogonal Ribs

Vibration of aircraft wings and the dynamic stress concentration at the clamped edge are important research topics due to concerns on the safety of aircrafts. To have a better understanding of the problem, the free and forced vibration response of a ribbed rectangular cantilever plate representing a section of an aircraft wing is investigated in this study. A new analytical solution is developed for the vibration analysis of rib stiffened cantilever plates using Mindlin plate and Timoshenko beam theories alongside the finite integral transform technique. The one- and two-dimensional integral transforms are applied to the governing equations of beams and plates, respectively, where the coupling force components at the interface between the base plate and the beam(s) can be automatically defined during the integral transform. Eventually, the partial differential equations are transformed into a system of linear algebraic equations in which its derivation is rigorous and easily implemented. Good agreements are found between the results of analytical solution, finite element analysis (FEA) and related literature. The solution is then employed to study the vibration suppression of cantilever plates and the shear force at the clamped edge. It is found that the insertion of a pair of orthogonal ribs in the plate can effectively reduce its vibration. An optimum orthogonal ribbing pattern is obtained using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm, taking into consideration both the vibration suppression of the plate and the maximum induced shear force at the corners of the clamped edge.