Abstract
The response, natural frequencies for the linear and nonlinear vibrations of rotating disks are given analytically through the Luo and Mote’s plate theory of 1998. The results for the nonlinear vibration can reduce to the ones for the linear vibration when the nonlinear effects vanish, and they are applicable to disks experiencing large-amplitude displacement or initial flatness and waviness. The natural frequencies for symmetric and asymmetric responses of a 3.5-inch diameter computer memory disk as an example are predicted through the linear theory, the von Karman theory and the new plate theory. The hardening of rotating disks occurs when nodal-diameter numbers are small and the softening of rotating disks occurs when nodal-diameter numbers becomes larger. The critical speeds of softening disks decrease with increasing deflection amplitudes.
