An improved nonlinear vibration theory is used in the present analysis to study the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotatory inertia on the large amplitude vibration behavior of isotropic elliptical plates. When these effects are negligible the differential equations given here readily reduce to the well-known dynamic von Ka´rma´n equations. Based on a single-mode analysis, solutions to the governing equations are presented for immovably clamped elliptical plates by use of Galerkin’s method and the numerical Runge-Kutta procedure. An excellent agreement is found between the present results and those available for nonlinear bending and large amplitude vibration of elliptical plates. The present results for moderately thick elliptical plates indicate significant influences of the transverse shear deformation, axes ratio, and semi-major axis-to-thickness ratio on the large amplitude vibration of elliptical plates.
