Free vibration analysis of rectangular plates resting on an elastic foundation

Abstract Rectangular plate on elastic foundations is a common structural form in aerospace fields, while there still lacks a general analytical method for free vibration analysis of this kind of structure. Thus, the extended separation-of-variable method is used to obtain the analytical free vibration solutions for plates with all kinds of homogeneous boundary conditions. The mode functions are assumed to be in separation-of-variable form, and the natural frequencies of two-direction mode functions are mathematically independent. Then, the free vibration solutions are obtained according to the two-direction boundary conditions. The correctness of the present results is verified via numerical comparisons. Parameter study shows that the elastic foundation significantly affects the flexural vibration behaviors of rectangular plates, and the influence is dependent on boundary conditions and mode orders of rectangular plates.