A combined boundary-finite element procedure for dynamic analysis of plates with fluid and foundation interaction considering free surface effect

Abstract This study combines a mixed finite element formulation and a boundary element procedure for the free vibration analysis of Mindlin plates resting on Pasternak foundation and interacting with a quiescent fluid with a free surface on the other side. The plate-foundation system is represented by a two field mixed finite element formulation, based on the Hellinger-Reissner variational principle, and the fluid-structure interaction is incorporated into the analysis through a boundary element solution. The proposed formulation provides the added mass matrix in terms of the plate deflection, which is appended into the plate equation of motion. The method is applied to the free vibration problem of circular and elliptical bottom plates of rigid fluid storage tanks supported by elastic foundation. Effects of system parameters, such as thickness to width and fluid depth ratios, foundation parameters and plate ellipticity, are extensively studied.