A method of calculating the natural frequency corresponding to the first mode of vibration of beams and tower structures, with irregular cross sections and with arbitrary boundary conditions was developed and reported by Kim, D. H. in 1974. In this paper, the result of application of this method to the special orthotropic plates on elastic foundation with free boundaries is presented. Such plates represent the concrete highway slab and hybrid composite pavement on bridges. Any method may be used to obtain the deflection influence surfaces needed for this vibration analysis. Finite difference method is used for this purpose, in this paper. The influence of the modulus of the foundation and the aspect ratio of the plate on the natural frequency is thoroughly studied. The effect of neglecting the mass of the plates on the natural frequency, as the ratio of the point mass/masses to the plate mass increases, is also studied, in deep.

A method of calculating the natural frequency corresponding to the first mode of vibration of beams and tower structures, with irregular cross sections and with arbitrary boundary conditions was developed and reported by Kim, D. H. in 1974. In this paper, the result of application of this method to the special orthotropic plates on elastic foundation with free boundaries is presented. Such plates represent the concrete highway slab and hybrid composite pavement on bridges. Any method may be used to obtain the deflection influence surfaces needed for this vibration analysis. Finite difference method is used for this purpose, in this paper. The influence of the modulus of the foundation and the aspect ratio of the plate on the natural frequency is thoroughly studied. The effect of neglecting the mass of the plates on the natural frequency, as the ratio of the point mass/masses to the plate mass increases, is also studied, in deep.