A Comparison of the Vibrational Responses of Four Different Uniform and Tapered Composite Beams

A combined experimental and finite element approach was used to compare the vibrational response of the composite beams with different configurations of internal taper and uniform cross sections. Composite beams were made using the hand lay-up process. Glass fibre was used as reinforcement in the form of a bidirectional fabric and a general-purpose epoxy resin as the matrix for the composite material. Experimental dynamic tests were carried out on FFT analyzer using specimens with different taper configurations. From the results, the effect of different taper configurations on the flexural natural frequencies and mode shapes was investigated. Finite element analysis of the same problem was carried out on software package ANSYS and the results were validated using the experimental results. From the results, a thorough comparison was made between the natural frequencies, loss factors, displacements and mode shapes of the specimens with different taper configurations and uniform cross sections considered. The aerospace implications are provided.