Three-dimensional analysis of thick plates by MLS-Ritz method

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) moving least-square Ritz (MLS-Ritz) formulation for the free vibration analysis of homogeneous elastic thick plates with mixed boundary constraints. The analysis is based on the linear elasticity theory. The Ritz trial functions are established through the moving least-square technique for the displacement fields of the plates. Vibration frequencies for thick square plates and right-angled isosceles triangular plates are obtained by the MLS-Ritz method. The reliability and accuracy of the presented method are examined by extensive convergence and comparison studies and it is established herein that the MLS-Ritz method is a powerful and effective numerical method for the 3D analysis of thick plates.