Forced vibrations of non-homogeneous rectangular plate of linearly varying thickness

An analysis is presented of the forced vibrations of non-homogeneous rectangular plate of variable thickness on the basis of classical plate theory. The non-homogeneity of the plate material is assumed to arise due to the variation in density which is assumed to vary linearly. The thickness of the plate also varies linearly. Approximate formulae are proposed for estimating the maximum deflection of a rectangular plate subject to a uniformly distributed harmonic lateral load. Maximum deflection for the different values of the fundamental frequency of vibration is computed for a simply supported-free-simply supported-free plate for various values of taper constant, non-homogeneity constant and aspect ratios. Results are presented in graphical form.