Composite cylinders are high-strength containers made from a mixture of fiber glass or boron fibers and a plastic resin typically epoxy. A lamina is assumed to be homogeneous and the mechanical behavior is characterized by a set of equivalent or effective moduli and strength properties. In this paper, free vibration of composite cylindrical shells is studied by using Finite Element software ANSYS and analytical method. An eight noded isoparametric element is used for the discretisation of the proposed model.

The equations of motion are based on First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) of shell. The effects of transverse shear deformation and rotatory inertia are taken in to account. The governing equations are solved analytically using the Assumed-Modes Method. The effects of various parameters such as radius to side ratio, side to thickness ratio and different laminates on the free vibration responses are studied.