Vibration analyses of an inclined flat plate subjected to moving loads

The object of this paper is to present a moving mass element so that one may easily perform the dynamic analysis of an inclined plate subjected to moving loads with the effects of inertia force, Coriolis force and centrifugal force considered. To this end, the mass, damping and stiffness matrices of the moving mass element, with respect to the local coordinate system, are derived first by using the principle of superposition and the definition of shape functions. Next, the last property matrices of the moving mass element are transformed into the global coordinate system and combined with the property matrices of the inclined plate itself to determine the effective overall property matrices and the instantaneous equations of motion of the entire vibrating system. Because the property matrices of the moving mass element have something to do with the instantaneous position of the moving load, both the property matrices of the moving mass element and the effective overall ones of the entire vibrating system are time-dependent. At any instant of time, solving the instantaneous equations of motion yields the instantaneous dynamic responses of the inclined plate. For validation, the presented technique is used to determine the dynamic responses of a horizontal pinned–pinned plate subjected to a moving load and a satisfactory agreement with the existing literature is achieved. Furthermore, extensive studies on the inclined plate subjected to moving loads reveal that the influences of moving-load speed, inclined angle of the plate and total number of the moving loads on the dynamic responses of the inclined plate are significant in most cases, and the effects of Coriolis force and centrifugal force are perceptible only in the case of higher moving-load speed.     

Vibration of Timoshenko beam on hysteretically damped elastic foundation subjected to moving load

The vibration of beams on foundations under moving loads has many applications in several fields, such as pavements in highways or rails in railways. However, most of the current studies only consider the energy dissipation mechanism of the foundation through viscous behavior; this assumption is unrealistic for soils. The shear rigidity and radius of gyration of the beam are also usually excluded. Therefore, this study investigates the vibration of an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on a hysteretically damped elastic foundation under a moving load with constant or harmonic amplitude. The governing differential equations of motion are formulated on the basis of the Hamilton principle and Timoshenko beam theory, and are then transformed into two algebraic equations through a double Fourier transform with respect to moving space and time. Beam deflection is obtained by inverse fast Fourier transform. The solution is verified through comparison with the closed-form solution of an Euler-Bernoulli beam on a Winkler foundation. Numerical examples are used to investigate:(a) the effect of the spatial distribution of the load, and(b) the effects of the beam properties on the deflected shape, maximum displacement, critical frequency, and critical velocity. These findings can serve as references for the performance and safety assessment of railway and highway structures.     

Codimension-two bifurcation of axial loaded beam bridge subjected to an infinite series of moving loads

A novel model is proposed which comprises of a beam bridge subjected to an axial load and an infinite series of moving loads. The moving loads, whose distance between the neighbouring ones is the length of the beam bridge, coupled with the axial force can lead the vibration of the beam bridge to codimension-two bifurcation. Of particular concern is a parameter regime where non-persistence set regions undergo a transition to persistence regions. The boundary of each stripe represents a bifurcation which can drive the system off a kind of dynamics and jump to another one, causing damage due to the resulting amplitude jumps. The Galerkin method, averaging method, invertible linear transformation, and near identity nonlinear transformations are used to obtain the universal unfolding for the codimension-two bifurcation of the mid-span deflection. The efficiency of the theoretical analysis obtained in this paper is verified via numerical simulations.     

Dynamic non-linear response of beams subjected to impact loads

A non-linear theory is presented for plane deformation of beams which allows for longitudinal stretching as well as for cross-sectional stretching and shearing. The exact strain measures for this theory are also deduced. The longitudinal and flexural motions are coupled in the theory. If the cross section is constrained from stretching, the resulting theory may be classified as a non-linear Timoshenko beam theory. The equations of the latter theory are used to study the motion of beams under impact loads.     

Vibration analysis of harmonically excited non-linear system using the method of multiple scales

An analytical method is presented for evaluation of the steady state periodic behavior of non-linear systems. This method is based on the substructure synthesis formulation and a multiple scales procedure, which is applied to the analysis of non-linear responses. A complex non-linear system is divided into substructures, of which equations are approximately transformed to modal co-ordinates including non-linear term under the reasonable procedure. Then, the equations are synthesized into the overall system and the solution of the non-linear system can be obtained. Based on the method of multiple scales, the proposed procedure reduces the size of large-degree-of-freedom problem in solving the non-linear equations. Feasibility and advantages of the proposed method are illustrated by the application of the analytic procedure to the non-linear rotating machine system as a large mechanical structure system. Results obtained are reported to be an efficient approach with respect to non-linear response prediction when compared with other conventional methods.     

Forced vibration of a damped sandwich beam subjected to moving forces

The response of a sandwich beam subjected to moving forces (constant as well as pulsating) is analyzed by the use of Fourier and Laplace transforms and compared with the response of an equivalent elastic beam. The results indicate that the critical speed of force on a sandwich beam is always greater than that on an elastic beam of identical mass per unit length and flexural rigidity, and depends on its geometric and shear parameters. For subcritical speeds, the maximum deflection of a sandwich beam is shown to occur earlier than that of an equivalent elastic beam. An increase in the core shear stiffness is shown to be beneficial in reducing the dynamic magnification of the central deflection of the sandwich beam.     

Suspended bridges subjected to moving loads and support motions due to earthquake

The paper deals with the vibration of suspended bridges subjected to the simultaneous action of moving loads and vertical support motions due to earthquake. The basic partial integro-differential equation is applied to the vertical vibration of a suspended beam. The dynamic actions of traffic loads are modelled as a row of equidistant moving forces, while the earthquake is considered by vertical motions of supports. The governing equation is solved first analytically to receive an ordinary differential equation and next numerically. Moreover, the designed world's largest suspended bridge—Messina Bridge—is investigated (central span of length 3.3 km). The paper studies the effect of various lags of the earthquake arrival because the earthquake may appear at any time when the train moves along a large-span bridge. The modified Kobe earthquake records have been applied to calculations. The results indicate that the interaction of both the moving and seismic forces may substantially amplify the response of long-span suspended bridges in the vicinity of the supports and increase with the rising speed of trains.     

Vibration analysis of horizontal self-weighted beams and cables with bending stiffness subjected to thermal loads

This paper aims at proposing an analytical model for the vibration analysis of horizontal beams that are self-weighted and thermally stressed. Geometrical nonlinearities are taken into account on the basis of large displacement and small rotation. Natural frequencies are obtained from a linearization of equilibrium equations. Thermal force and thermal bending moment are both included in the analysis. Torsional and axial springs are considered at beam ends, allowing various boundary conditions. A dimensionless analysis is performed leading to only four parameters, respectively, related to the self-weight, thermal force, thermal bending moment and torsional spring stiffness. It is shown that the proposed model can be efficiently used for cable problems with small sag-to-span ratios (typically , as in Irvine's theory). For beam problems, the model is validated thanks to finite element solutions and a parametric study is conducted in order to highlight the combined effects of thermal loads and self-weight on natural frequencies. For cable problems, solutions are first compared with existing results in the literature obtained without thermal effects or bending stiffness. Good agreement is found. A parametric study combining the effects of sag-extensibility, thermal change and bending stiffness is finally given.     

Vibration and stability of a non-uniform Timoshenko beam subjected to a follower force

An analysis is presented for the vibration and stability of a non-uniform Timoshenko beam subjected to a tangential follower force distributed over the center line by use of the transfer matrix approach. For this purpose, the governing equations of a beam are written in a coupled set of first-order differential equations by using the transfer matrix of the beam. Once the matrix has been determined by numerical integration of the equations, the eigenvalues of vibration and the critical flutter loads are obtained. The method is applied to beams with linearly, parabolically and exponentially varying depths, subjected to a concentrated, uniformly distributed or linearly distributed follower force, and the natural frequencies and flutter loads are calculated numerically, from which the effects of the varying cross-section, slenderness ration, follower force and the stiffness of the supports on them are studied.     

Numerical analysis of isolation of the vibration due to moving loads using pile rows

The isolation of the vibration due to moving loads using pile rows embedded in a poroelastic half-space is investigated in this study. Based on Biot's theory and integral transform method, the free field solution for a moving load applied on the surface of a poroelastic half-space and the fundamental solution for a harmonic circular patch load applied in the poroelastic half-space are derived first. Using Muki and Sternberg's method and the fundamental solution for the circular patch load as well as the obtained free field solution for the moving load, the second kind of Fredholm integral equations in the frequency domain describing the dynamic interaction between pile rows and the poroelastic half-space is developed. Numerical solution of the frequency domain integral equations and numerical inversion of the Fourier transform yield the time domain response of the pile–soil system. Comparison of our results with some known results shows that our results are in a good agreement with existing ones. Numerical results of this study show that velocity of moving loads has an important impact on the vibration isolation effect of pile rows. The same pile row has a better vibration isolation effect for the lower speed moving loads than for the higher speed ones. Also, the optimal length of piles for higher speed moving loads is shorter than that for lower speed moving loads. Moreover, stiff pile rows tend to produce a better vibration isolation effect than flexible pile rows do.     

Vibration of rectangular plates subjected to in-plane forces by the finite strip method

The finite strip method is applied to the vibration analysis of rectangular plates subjected to in-plane forces. Several numerical examples are presented and comparison with available solutions clearly indicates the accuracy and efficiency of the method.     

Vibration of a beam due to a random stream of moving forces with random velocity

The problem of dynamic response of a beam to the passage of a train of concentrated forces with random amplitudes and velocities is considered. Force arrivals at the beam are assumed to constitute the point stochastic process of events. Thus, the excitation process is an idealization of vehicular traffic loads on a bridge. An analytical technique is developed to determine the response of the beam. Explicit expressions for the expected value and the variance of the beam deflection are provided. As an example, the response of a beam to a stationary stream of forces is determined for some practical situations, and discussed.     

Free vibration analysis of magneto-electro-elastic microbeams subjected to magneto-electric loads

Different types of actuating and sensing mechanisms are used in new micro and nanoscale devices. Therefore, a new challenge is modeling electromechanical systems that use these mechanisms. In this paper, free vibration of a magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) microbeam is investigated in order to obtain its natural frequencies and buckling loads. The beam is simply supported at both ends. External electric and magnetic potentials are applied to the beam. By using the Hamilton's principle, the governing equations and boundary conditions are derived based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The equations are solved, analytically to obtain the natural frequencies of the MEE microbeam. Furthermore, the effects of external electric and magnetic potentials on the buckling of the beam are analyzed and the critical values of the potentials are obtained. Finally, a numerical study is conducted. It is found that the natural frequency can be tuned directly by changing the magnetic and electric potentials. Additionally, a closed form solution for the normalized natural frequency is derived, and buckling loads are calculated in a numerical example.     

Vibration serviceability of stadia structures subjected to dynamic crowd loads: A literature review

This paper is a critical review of information pertinent to the behaviour of stadia structures subjected to dynamic crowd loading. It is intended to introduce and explain key concepts in the field as well as summarise the development of current guidance and methods for modelling and assessing crowd occupancy.The review is structured by presenting a field overview and then rationalising the materials found into a standard vibration serviceability problem defined by the vibration source, path and receiver. After briefly introducing the problems associated with dynamic crowd loading, the loads generated by various actions of occupants are discussed. This leads into methods for modelling these activities. The derivation of relevant dynamic structural properties, through both FE modelling and field dynamic testing, is briefly investigated. The concept of human-structure interaction, the merging of dynamic properties of occupants and structure, is considered in depth.Finally, methods for assessing vibration levels are discussed and currently available codes and guidance are appraised in the context of the issues outlined.Further work is required at all stages of the excitation/source (crowd load models which account for flexible structures and large, distributed crowds), system/path (methods for accounting for the effects of occupancy upon system dynamic properties) and response/receiver (occupant tolerance levels) serviceability assessment approach in order to be able to understand and model the outlined phenomena accurately.     

A finite element method prediction of the vibration of a bridge subjected to a moving vehicle load

This paper is concerned with the analysis of dynamic deflection and acceleration of a concrete bridge which is subjected to a moving vehicle load. The bridge, to be constructed across the River Brahmaputra in India, consists of 20 main spans, and each main span is assumed to be double cantilever type with a small suspended span. The moving vehicle is modeled as one degree of freedom. The deflections and accelerations at specific locations on the bridge when the vehicle moves at constant speed are analyzed by using the finite element method.     

Semi-analytical finite element analysis of elastic waveguides subjected to axial loads

Predicting the influence of axial loads on the wave propagation in structures such as rails requires numerical analysis. Conventional three-dimensional finite element analysis has previously been applied to this problem. The process is tedious as it requires that a number of different length models be solved and that the user identify the computed modes of propagation. In this paper, the more specialised semi-analytical finite element method is extended to account for the effect of axial load. The semi-analytical finite element method includes the wave propagation as a complex exponential in the element formulation and therefore only a two-dimensional mesh of the cross-section of the waveguide is required. It was found that the stiffness matrix required to describe the effect of axial load is proportional to the mass matrix, which makes the extension to existing software trivial. The method was verified by application to an aluminium rod, where after phase and group velocities of propagating waves in a rail were computed to demonstrate the method.