Dynamic analysis of periodic structures

The natural vibration analysis of a periodic structure with repeated identical substructures may be simplified by using some symmetrical properties of the substructure dynamic matrices, resulting in a set of linear difference equations in the displacements. These equations are readily solved for cyclic symmetric systems, simply supported systems and infinite systems. The order of the overall frequency equations is at most equal to one half of the total number of degrees of freedom retained for a single substructure regardless of the number of substructures in the system. With these natural modes, the system with general boundary conditions at end stations is analyzed by a fast converging method.