Due to strong potential applications and more demanding requirements imposed upon long and thick cylindrical structures, there has been increasing research and development activities during recent years in the field of vibration and passive vibration control of these types of structures. An important step in the study of cylindrical structures is the determination of their vibration modal characteristics. This modal information plays a key role in the design and vibration suppression of these structures when subjected to dynamic excitations. Most reported studies on the dynamic response of...