This paper presents a new method for determining the natural frequencies and mode shapes for the free vibration of thin elastic plates using the boundary element and dual reciprocity methods. The solution to the plate\u27s equation of motion is assumed to be a separable form. The problem is further simplified by using the fundamental solution of an infinite plate in the reciprocity theorem. Except for the inertia term, all domain integrals are transformed into boundary integrals using the reciprocity theorem. However, the inertia domain integral is evaluated in terms of the boundary nodes by using the dual reciprocity method. In this method, a set of interior points are selected and the deflection at these points is assumed to be a series of approximating functions. The reciprocity theorem is applied to reduce the domain integrals to a boundary integral. To evaluate the boundary integrals, the displacements and rotations are assumed to vary linearly along the boundary. The boundary integrals are discretized and evaluated numerically. The resulting matrix equations are significantly smaller than the finite element formulation for an equivalent problem. Mode shapes for the free vibration of circular and rectangular plates are obtained and compared with analytical and finite element results
