Dynamic analysis of orthotropic plates using a finite difference formulation AksuGuven 2018 Free vibration characteristics of orthotropic plates have been examined by finite difference methods using (a) the governing differential equation of motion and (b) energy-type analysis. The first approach used in this work is called the direct substitution method in which the governing differential equation has been used for the finite difference formulation leading to the characteristic equations of vibration of an orthotropic plate. [Continues.]