Reliable solutions to the problem of periodic oscillations of an elastoplastic beam

We consider time-periodic oscillations of a beam with a spatially inhomogeneous Prandtl–Ishlinskii constitutive law describing the elastoplastic hysteresis. The data (mass density, Prandtl–Ishlinskii distribution, external load) are assumed to be uncertain. It is shown that a unique solution exists and is stable with respect to the data variation. Considering the total dissipated energy as a measure for the accumulated material fatigue, we identify and estimate from above the ‘worst scenario’ case, where the dissipation over one period is maximal within an admissible set of data obtained from inaccurate measurements.