Abstract：In order to investigate the vibration characteristics of graphene platelet reinforced porous composite (GPLRPC) cylindrical shells under arbitrary boundary conditions, a semi-analytical method using Gegenbauer polynomials as admissible functions is proposed in this paper. First, the effective material properties of the GPLRPC cylindrical shell are derived based on the Halpin-Tsai micromechanical model and closed-cell body theory. Artificial spring technique is utilized to simulate the boundary conditions at both ends of the shell and continuous coupling conditions between shell segments. Then, based on the first-order shear deformation shell theory, the motion equations of the structure are derived and it's dimensionless frequencies are obtained with Rayleigh-Ritz method. Hence, numerical calculations are performed to analyze the effects of boundary conditions, porosity coefficients, porosity types, graphene distribution patterns, graphene mass fractions, boundary spring stiffness, and geometrical parameters on the vibration characteristics of the shell structure. The results show that the Gegenbauer polynomials have excellent convergence and accuracy as admissible functions. It is also found that the boundary conditions have different effects on the frequency of cylindrical shells, and GPL-A and Type II have the best stiffness enhancement effect. Additionally, it is observed that the influence of translational springs on frequency is greater than rotational springs, and the effect of cylindrical shell length-to-diameter ratio is greater, but the effect of diameter-to-thickness ratio is less. Overall, applying graphene to cylindrical shells has a wide range of applications, and the research results can provide data support and theoretical reference for the engineering design.
2024, Vol. 45 
