On the extensional vibrations of rotating bars

The extensional equations of motion for a cantilever bar rotating about an axis fixed in space are derived. It is shown that the form of the non-linear strain-displacement relation is important in determining the nature of the relationship between the frequency of extensional oscillations and the rotational speed. In particular, the frequency may or may not increase monotonically with rotational speed, depending on the degree of hardening in the effective extensional spring. The determination whether an instability occurs as the rotational speed increases is beyond the limits of engineering beam theory.