Approximation of the vibration modes of a Timoshenko curved rod of arbitrary geometry

Rodolfo Rodríguez ^{The aim of this paper is to analyse a mixed finite-element methodfor computing the vibration modes of a Timoshenko curved rodwith arbitrary geometry. Optimal order error estimates are provedfor displacements, rotations and shear stresses of the vibrationmodes, as well as a double order of convergence for the vibrationfrequencies. These estimates are essentially independent ofthe thickness of the rod, which leads to the conclusion thatthe method is locking-free. Numerical tests are reported inorder to assess the performance of the method.}