Two non-probabilistic set-theoretical models to predict the transient vibrations of cross-ply plates with uncertainty

In practical engineering and scientific researches, all engineering analysis and design problems involve uncertainties to various degrees. Dynamic loads acting on a structure are usually with uncertain nature due to the difficulty of predicting the magnitudes of such loads. In this paper, a non-probabilistic and set-theoretical model named interval analysis method is developed to predict the transient vibrations of cross-ply plates with uncertain excitations. The dynamic loads involve deterministic and uncertain components of force function and initial conditions. Uncertainties in these functions are required to be bounded on the L 2 norm and expressed by finite eigenmodes. Analyzed by a numerical example, the width of the upper and lower bounds of the critical buckling loads that calculated by the interval analysis method is sharper than those are obtained by convex models. Moreover, the interval analysis has less computational cost than convex models. Considering specific cases, the effect of various parameters and the level of uncertainty on the response of the cross-ply plates are different.