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Cantilever plate structures are widely used in civil and aerospace engineering. Here, a semi-analytical method is proposed to calculate the dynamic responses of cantilever plates subjected to moving forces. The Rayleigh–Ritz method is used to obtain the semi-analytical modal frequencies and shapes of a thin, isotropic, and rectangular cantilever plate using the assumed mode shapes that fulfill the boundary conditions of the plate. The modal superposition method is used to decouple the motion equations of the cantilever plate to obtain a series of modal equations. Then, the generalized forces are transformed into a Fourier series in terms of discrete harmonic forces. The dynamic responses of the cantilever plate are obtained by superimposing the analytical responses of a number of single-degree-of-freedom modal systems under discrete harmonic forces. The proposed semi-analytical method is verified through comparison with the numerical method. Then, the vibration of the cantilever plate under the action of moving forces is investigated based on the semi-analytical results. It is found that the contribution of the high-order modes to the dynamic responses of the plate cannot be ignored. In addition, the wavelengths of the mode shapes not only affect the magnitude of the modal forces but also the dominant frequency of the modal forces. Resonant responses of the plate are produced by the moving forces when the load interval equals the wavelength of the mode shape of a high-order mode and the exciting frequency of the moving forces equals the natural frequency of this mode.

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.

Considering the production requirement of workpiece optimization in order to reduce mass, the dynamic behavior of a workpiece can be affected. This factor can influence the performance of the milling process due to the occurrence of chatter vibrations. On the other hand, when the recommended cutting speed is relatively low, the tool rubs against the workpiece surface causing process damping. Consequently, the process becomes more stable and hence the depth of cut can be increased. In this paper, the stability of face milling of a cantilever plate at low cutting speed is investigated. The stability lobes diagram is determined numerically considering process damping. Cutting tests are conducted in order to verify the simulated results. An accelerometer is attached to the workpiece and its signal is measured and analyzed. Both workpiece surface and roughness are also investigated. The experimental results show a good agreement with the stability lobes diagram to predict the stable region under process damping. Hence, the depth of cut can be considerably increased, keeping the process stable at low cutting speeds.