A stiffness equation transfer method for natural frequencies of structures

A stiffness equation transfer method is proposed for obtaining vibration frequencies of structures. This method is an extension of the finite element-transfer matrix (FE-TM) method. In the present method, the transfer of state vectors from left to right in the ordinary FE-TM method is changed into the transfer of stiffness equations of every section from left to right. This method reduces the propagation of round-off errors produced in the ordinary transfer matrix method. Furthermore, the drawback that the number of degrees of freedom on the left boundary must be the same as that on the right boundary in the ordinary FE-TM method, is now avoided. Besides, this method finds out the values of the frequency by Newton-Raphson iteration method, so no plotting of the value of the determinant versus assumed frequency is necessary. An IFETM—W program based on this method for use on an IBM PC586 microcomputer is developed. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy as well as the potential of the proposed method for free vibration analysis of structures.     

A combined finite element-stiffness equation transfer method for steady state vibration response analysis of structures

An extended finite element transfer matrix method, in combination with stiffness equation transfer, is applied to dynamic response analysis of the structures under periodic excitations. In the present method, the transfer of state vectors from left to right in a combined finite element-transfer matrix (FE-TM) method is changed into the transfer of general stiffness equations of every section from left to right. This method has the advantages of reducing the order of standard transfer equation systems, and minimizing the propagation of round-off errors occurring in recursive multiplication of transfer and point matrices. Furthermore, the drawback that in the ordinary FE-TM method, the number of degrees of freedom on the left boundary be the same on the right boundary, is now avoided. A FESET program based on this method using microcomputers is developed. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy as well as the potential of the proposed method for steady state vibration response analysis of structures.     

A Novel Low-Dimensional Method for Analytically Solving Partial Differential Equations

This paper is concerned with a low-dimensional dynamical system model for analytically solving partial differential equations (PDEs). The model proposed is based on a posterior optimal truncated weighted residue (POT-WR) method, by which an infinite dimensional PDE is optimally truncated and analytically solved in required condition of accuracy. To end that, a POT-WR condition for PDE under consideration is used as a dynamically optimal control criterion with the solving process. A set of bases needs to be constructed without any reference database in order to establish a space to describe low-dimensional dynamical system that is required. The Lagrangian multiplier is introduced to release the constraints due to the Galerkin projection, and a penalty function is also employed to remove the orthogonal constraints. According to the extreme principle, a set of ordinary differential equations is thus obtained by taking the variational operation of the generalized optimal function. A conjugate gradient algorithm by FORTRAN code is developed to solve the ordinary differential equations. The two examples of one-dimensional heat transfer equation and nonlinear Burgers’ equation show that the analytical results on the method proposed are good agreement with the numerical simulations and analytical solutions in references, and the dominant characteristics of the dynamics are well captured in case of few bases used only.     

An analytical study of sound transmission through unbounded panels of functionally gradedmaterials

The problem of sound transmission and reflection from unbounded panels of functionally graded materials is studied using an analytical approach. By means of matrix manipulation and Fourier component analysis, the three-dimensional (3-D) governing equations of elastodynamics are converted into a system of ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients in the frequency and wavenumber domain. Integration of the ordinary differential equation system across the panel thickness leads to a closed-form solution for the transfer matrix. Analytical expressions are then obtained for sound reflection and transmission coefficients for panels of functionally graded materials. The present model is used to predict sound transmission losses for various panel examples. The results compare well with published data from other methods, thereby validating the accuracy of the formulation developed in this study.     

Vibration analysis of pipelines with arbitrary branches by absorbing transfer matrix method

Branched pipes of arbitrary shapes are prevalent in pipe systems. Considering fluid–structure interaction (FSI), an absorbing transfer matrix method in frequency domain for fluid-filled pipelines with any branched pipes is proposed in this paper. A dominant chain of pipeline would be selected, and the point transfer matrix of each junction on the dominant chain would be determined. Here, the point transfer matrix, representing the influence of branched pipes at the junction on the dominant pipeline, was “absorbed” by the dominant chain. Based on these, with transfer matrixes of other elements, the fluid and structure dynamics problem could be solved following the chain transfer matrix method process.     

Micro-vibration suppression of equipment supported on a floor incorporating magneto-rheological elastomer core

In this study, magneto-rheological elastomers (MREs) are adopted to construct a smart sandwich beam for micro-vibration control of equipment. The micro-vibration response of a smart sandwich beam with MRE core which supports mass-concentrated equipment under stochastic support-motion excitations is investigated to evaluate the vibration suppression capability. The dynamic behavior of MREs as a smart viscoelastic material is characterized by a complex modulus dependent on vibration frequency and controllable by external magnetic fields. A frequency-domain solution method for the stochastic micro-vibration response of the smart sandwich beam supporting mass-concentrated equipment is developed based on the Galerkin method and random vibration theory. First, the displacements of the beam are expanded as series of spatial harmonic functions and the Galerkin method is applied to convert the partial differential equations of motion into ordinary differential equations. With these equations, the frequency-response function matrix of the beam–mass system and the expression of the velocity response spectrum are then obtained, with which the root-mean-square (rms) velocity response in terms of the one-third octave frequency band can be calculated. Finally, the optimization problem of the complex modulus of the MRE core is defined by minimizing the velocity response spectrum and the rms velocity response of the sandwich beam, through altering the applied magnetic fields. Numerical results are given to illustrate the influence of MRE parameters on the rms velocity response and the response reduction capacity of the smart sandwich beam. The proposed method is also applicable to response analysis of a sandwich beam with arbitrary core characterized by a complex shear modulus and subject to arbitrary stochastic excitations described by a power spectral density function, and is valid for a wide frequency range.     

Coupled bending and torsional vibration of axially loaded Bernoulli-Euler beams including warping effects

The dynamic transfer matrix method for determining natural frequencies and mode shapes of the bending-torsion coupled vibration of axially loaded thin-walled beams with monosymmetrical cross sections is developed by using a general solution of the governing differential equations of motion based on Bernoulli-Euler beam theory. This method takes into account the effect of warping stiffness and gives allowance to the presence of axial force. The dynamic transfer matrix is derived in detail. Two illustrative examples on the application of the present theory are given for bending-torsion coupled beams with thin-walled open cross sections. The effects of axial load and warping stiffness on coupled bending-torsional frequencies are discussed. Compared with those available in the literature, numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Free vibration of three-dimensional anisotropic layered composite nanoplates based on modified couple-stress theory

Based on the modified couple-stress theory, three-dimensional analytical solutions of free vibration of a simply supported, multilayered and anisotropic composite nanoplate are derived by solving an eigenvalue system and using the propagator matrix method. By expanding the solutions of the extended displacements in terms of two-dimensional Fourier series, the final governing equations of motion with modified couple-stress effect are reduced to an eigenvalue system of ordinary differential equations. Analytical expressions for the natural frequencies and mode shapes of multilayered anisotropic composite plates with modified couple-stress effect are then derived via the propagator matrix method. Numerical examples are carried out for homogeneous thick-plates and sandwich composite plates to show the effect of the non-local parameter in different layers and stacking sequence on the mode shapes. The present solutions can serve as benchmarks to various thick-plate theories and numerical methods, and could be further useful for designing layered composite structures involving small scale.     

Discrete time transfer matrix method for dynamics of multibody system with real-time control

By taking the control and feedback parameters into account in state vectors, defining new state vectors and deducing new transfer equations and transfer matrices for actuator, controlled element and feedback element, a new method named as the discrete time transfer matrix method for controlled multibody system (CMS) is developed to study dynamics of CMS with real-time control in this paper. This method does not need the global dynamics equations of system. It has the modeling flexibility, low order of system matrix, high computational efficiency, and is efficient for general CMS. Compared with the ordinary dynamics methods, the proposed method has more advantages for dynamics design and real-time control of a complex CMS. Adopting the PID adaptive controller and modal velocity feedback control on PZT actuators, and applying the proposed method and ordinary dynamics method, respectively, the tip trajectory tracking for a flexible manipulator is carried out. Formulations of the method as well as numerical simulation are given to validate the proposed method.     

Method of Green’s function of nonlinear vibration of corrugated shallow shells

Based on the dynamic equations of nonlinear large deflection of axisymmetric shallow shells of revolution, the nonlinear free vibration and forced vibration of a corrugated shallow shell under concentrated load acting at the center have been investigated. The nonlinear partial differential equations of shallow shell were reduced to the nonlinear integral-differential equations by using the method of Green’s function. To solve the integral-differential equations, the expansion method was used to obtain Green’s function. Then the integral-differential equations were reduced to the form with a degenerate core by expanding Green’s function as a series of characteristic function. Therefore, the integral-differential equations became nonlinear ordinary differential equations with regard to time. The amplitude-frequency relation, with respect to the natural frequency of the lowest order and the amplitude-frequency response under harmonic force, were obtained by considering single mode vibration. As a numerical example, nonlinear free and forced vibration phenomena of shallow spherical shells with sinusoidal corrugation were studied. The obtained solutions are available for reference to the design of corrugated shells.     

Free vibration of non-circular cylindrical shells with variable circumferential profile

An analysis is presented of the free vibration of non-circular cylindrical shells with a variable circumferential profile expressed as an arbitrary function. The applicability of thin-shell theory is assumed and the governing equations of vibration of a non-circular cylindrical shell are written in a matrix differential equation by using the transfer matrix of the shell. Once the transfer matrix has been determined by numerical integration of the matrix equation, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration are calculated numerically in terms of the matrix elements. The method is applied to cylindrical shells of three or four-lobed cross-section, and the effects of the length of the shell and the radius at the lobed corners on the vibration are studied.     

Crack detection in structures using deviation from normal distribution of measured vibration responses

Cracks are one of the common defects in structural components that may ultimately lead to failure of structures if not detected. Generally, most of the vibration based crack detection methods transform measured vibration responses from time-domain into frequency-domain using Fourier or wavelet transform for damage detection. However, it would be more convenient if the vibration responses could be analysed in their original time-domain. Therefore, a practical method based on probability distribution function is proposed which performs all the data processing in time-domain for the purpose of crack detection in beam-like structures. The application of the proposed method to both numerical and experimental examples and their results are presented.     

Domain-partition power series in vibration analysis of variable-cross-section rods

This paper presents a power series method with domain partition implemented in a matrix formulation, as an alternative to other power series techniques in vibration analysis. The proposed method solves linear differential equations efficiently up to a desired degree of accuracy and remedies two limitations of the conventional power series method. One limitation is related to the convergence domain of the series solution. If this domain does not include the region under analysis, the series expansion gives meaningless results. The other limitation is computational in nature; numerical difficulties arise when calculating natural frequencies, modes of vibration and dynamic stiffness of continuous models at high frequency. To compare some of the available implementations of the power series method in modal analysis, the longitudinal vibration of a rod with linearly varying area is studied. By means of this simple example, it is demonstrated that the power series method with domain partition provides more versatility than the power series approximation on complete domains.     

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.     

Frequency modelling and solution of fluid–structure interaction in complex pipelines

Complex pipelines may have various structural supports and boundary conditions, as well as branches. To analyse the vibrational characteristics of piping systems, frequency modelling and solution methods considering complex constraints are developed here. A fourteen-equation model and Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) are employed to describe Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) in liquid-filled pipes. A general solution for the multi-branch pipe is proposed in this paper, offering a methodology to predict frequency responses of the complex piping system. Some branched pipe systems are built for the purpose of validation, indicating good agreement with calculated results.     

Numerical solution of fractional differential equations via a Volterra integral equation approach

The main focus of this paper is to present a numerical method for the solution of fractional differential equations. In this method, the properties of the Caputo derivative are used to reduce the given fractional differential equation into a Volterra integral equation. The entire domain is divided into several small domains, and by collocating the integral equation at two adjacent points a system of two algebraic equations in two unknowns is obtained. The method is applied to solve linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations. Also the error analysis is presented. Some examples are given and the numerical simulations are also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the new method.     

The steady state out-of-plane response of a Timoshenko curved beam with internal damping

The steady state out-of-plane response of a Timoshenko curved beam with internal damping to a sinusoidally varying point force or moment is determined by use of the transfer matrix approach. For this purpose, the equations of out-of-plane vibration of a curved beam are written as a coupled set of the 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 steady state response of the beam is obtained. The method is applied to free-clamped non-uniform beams with circular, elliptical, catenary and parabolical neutral axes driven at the free end; the driving point impedance and force or moment transmissibility are calculated numerically and the effects of the slenderness ratio, varying cross-section and the function expressing the neutral axis on them are studied.     

Algebraic dynamics solutions and algebraic dynamics algorithm for nonlinear ordinary differential equations

The problem of preserving fidelity in numerical computation of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is studied in terms of preserving local differential structure and approximating global integration structure of the dynamical system. The ordinary differential equations are lifted to the corresponding partial differential equations in the framework of algebraic dynamics, and a new algorithm—algebraic dynamics algorithm is proposed based on the exact analytical solutions of the ordinary differential equations by the algebraic dynamics method. In the new algorithm, the time evolution of the ordinary differential system is described locally by the time translation operator and globally by the time evolution operator. The exact analytical piece-like solution of the ordinary differential equations is expressed in terms of Taylor series with a local convergent radius, and its finite order truncation leads to the new numerical algorithm with a controllable precision better than Runge Kutta Algorithm and Symplectic Geometric Algorithm.     

Some properties of horn equation model of ultrasonic system vibration and of transfer matrix and equivalent circuit methods of its solution

Traditional technique of horn equation solved by transfer matrices as a model of vibration of ultrasonic systems consisting of sectional transducer, horn and load is discussed. Expression of vibration modes as a ratio of solutions of two Schrödinger equations gives better insight to the structure of a transfer matrix and properties of amplitudes of displacement and strain, and enables more systematic search for analytic solutions. Incorrectness of impedance matrix method and of equivalent circuit method on one hand and correctness and advantages of transfer matrix method in avoiding numerical artifacts and revealing the real features of the model on the other hand are demonstrated on examples. Discontinuous dependence of the nth resonant value on parameters of ultrasonic system, recently described in Sturm–Liouville theory, and consequently, a jump from half-wave to full-wave mode, is observed in a transducer model.     

Free vibration of a conical shell with variable thickness

An analysis is presented for the free vibration of a truncated conical shell with variable thickness by use of the transfer matrix approach. The applicability of the classical thin shell theory is assumed and the governing equations of vibration of a conical shell are written as a coupled set of first order differential equations by using the transfer matrix of the shell. Once the matrix has been determined by quadrature of the equations, the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of vibration are calculated numerically in terms of the elements of the matrix under any combination of boundary conditions at the edges. The method is applied to truncated conical shells with linearly, parabolically or exponentially varying thickness, and the effects of the semi-vertex angle, truncated length and varying thickness on the vibration are studied.