A finite element for the vibration analysis of Timoshenko beams

A Timoshenko beam finite element is presented which has three nodes and two degrees of freedom per node, namely the values of the lateral deflection and the cross-sectional rotation. The element properties are based on a coupled displacement field; the lateral deflection is interpolated as a quintic polynomial function and the cross-sectional rotation is linked to the deflection by specifying satisfaction of the governing differential equation of moment equilibrium in the absence of the rotary inertia term. Numerical results confirm that this procedure does not preclude convergence to true Timoshenko theory solutions since rotary inertia is included in lumped form at element ends. The new Timoshenko beam element has good convergence characteristics and where comparison can be made in numerical studies it is shown to be generally more efficient than previous elements.