Shear deformation theory for free vibration responses of 3D braided pre-twisted conical shells under rotation

Abstract 3D braided composite has significant attractiveness compared to the classical composite, such as better in-plane mechanical properties, strength in the thickness directions, damage tolerance, anti-delamination capability, etc. In the present work, a new shear deformation theory with 12 degrees of freedom per node is implemented in the framework of the 3D finite element formulation for the free vibration analysis of 3D braided pre-twisted conical shells under rotation. For moderate rotational speeds, the Coriolis effect is neglected. The equivalent material properties of the 3D braided rotating conical shells are computed by bridging models base on a volume averaging method (VAM).