Journal of Sound and Vibration (1993) 168(3), 395-405 EFFECT OF AXIAL LOAD ON FORCED VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS LN. Vircin Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0300, U.S.A. AND. R. H. PLaur The Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0105, U.S.A. (Received 10 October 1991, and in final form 26 May 1992) The steady state linear response of beams subjected to a distributed, harmonically varying, transverse force is considered. A static axial load, either tensile or compressive, is also applied to the beam, and damping is included in the analysis. Four standard sets of boundary conditions are treated. The influence of the axial load on the response is investigated, with attention focused on the maximum amplitude of the central deflection ‘over all possible forcing frequencies. Approximate formulas are proposed for the effect of axial load on this maximum response and on the corresponding forcing frequency. The first of these formulas is then compared to a similar approximation for the central deflection when the transverse force is static rather than harmonic. 1, INTRODUCTION The influence of axial or in-plane loading on free vibration frequencies of elastic structures such as beams, plates and cylindrical shells is well established (see, e.g., references [1, 2)). Tension tends to increase free vibration frequencies, while compression tends to reduce them, Since buckling occurs when the lowest frequency decreases to zero, it may be possible non-destructively to estimate buckling loads by measuring frequencies at several load levels and extrapolating the results (see, e.g., references [3-5)). In contrast, the influence of tension or compression on forced vibrations has received little attention. A recent paper by Chuang and Wang {6] analyzed pinned-pinned and clamped-pinned beams subject to a concentrated, harmonic, transverse force, Viscous damping was assumed, and in some cases the beams were attached to an elastic foundation. A series solution was obtained for the steady state motion. The effect of axial load on the response amplitude of a pinned-pinned beam at the location of the harmonic force was described. In the present investigation, uniform clastic beams with four sets of boundary conditions are considered, and the steady state response is determined analytically. The transverse force varies harmonically in time and spatially is distributed along the beam. Both viscous and viscoelastic damping are included, and the static axial load may be tensile or compressive. The amplitude of the transverse motion at the center of the beam is computed, and its variation as a function of the forcing frequency is examined. Then, its maximum value (over the range of all forcing frequencies) and the corresponding forcing 395 (0022-460X/93/270395 + 11 $08.00/0 © 1993 Academic Press Limited396 ‘L..N, VIRGIN AND R, H. PLAUT frequency are plotted as functions of the axial load. Approximate formulas for these relationships are proposed, and a comparison is made with the effect of axial load on the central beam deflection under static transverse loading. 2. FORMULATION Consider a uniform clastic beam with length L, axial co-ordinate X (0 0) with a slope that is independent of ca. An increase in p causes an increase in A, and (when > 0) a decrease in Qy. Also, from equation (12) it is seen that an increase in p has a similar effect on Ay and Q, as an increase in damping. 4, UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED FORCE 4.1. SOLUTION PROCEDURE In the remaining examples, the transverse force is distributed uniformly along the beam, Then f(x)= I in equation (5) and the solution can be written in the form CX) = (Qe — 2771+ 5 (a,cosh Ax + by sink 4,x), (14) fi ~2 ° 2 4 € 8 10 Figure 3. (a) The resonant amplitude and (b) the frequency squared es. the axial load for a pinned-pinned beam with a sinusoidally distributed force.BEAMS UNDER AXIAL LOAD 399 Figur 4 The central amplitude forcing reuency foractanpes camped beam ith uniformly distibues fores £2002 PrO pent pet pee nae eae where A= Oy) +iOD, — y= -g+ JETP, Y= (QB +4 -OBVYE, — v= (Oph — 4 + OBIE, C= P+ OBOE, a= —W +p +.2H6YE, b=1-5 + JF EWI, y =n/08), § =A +0°B%), — F =p? +41 +cB)Q, 9 = 4(QB —c)Q. (1s) tion of the boundary conditions yields a set of four complex, linear, algebraic ‘equations to be solved for a,, a», 6, and 0,. Then, equation (8) gives the amplitude 4(2, p) at the center of the span, and equation (1) is used numerically to determine the resonant amplitude 4,(p) and the corresponding forcing frequency 2y. 4.2, CLAMPED-CLAMPED BEAM. If both ends of the beam are clamped, y =y’=0 at x =0 and x =1, p,=4n? and @, = 22-37. Frequency response curves (A vs. 9) are plotted in Figure 4 for damping values { = 0-02, 8 =0 and axial load values p = —n?, 0, n?, 2n? and 3n?. The peaks, which correspond to the first vibration mode, increase in size as p increases. Other peaks, associated with the “higher” symmetric modes, occur at higher frequencies (beyond the range of Figure 4), but are much smaller than the peaks shown. The maximum value, 4,, and the square of the corresponding frequency, 2%, are plotted as functions of the axial load p in Figures S(a) and 5(b), respectively, for B =O and = 0-1, 0-2 and 0-5. The curves of 3 ws. p are almost linear and almost parallel to each other. 4.3. CLAMPED-FREE BEAM Next, consider a cantilevered beam, for which y(0)=0, y'(0)=0, y"(I)=0, vy") + py’) =O, p= 73/4 and c= 3-516. Frequency response curves for { = 0-142, B =Oand p = —z7/10, 0 and x’/5 are presented in Figure 6. The second natural frequency (when p = 0) is 22/03, and the peaks corresponding to the second vibration mode can be seen in Figure 6, along with those associated with the first mode. In Figure 7 it is shown how A, and Q} vary with p when § =0 and ¢ =0:05, 0-1 and 0-2.400 L. N. VIRGIN AND R. H. PLAUT 0 T T T T 50 Figure 5. (a) The resonant amplitude and (b) the frequency squared rs. the axial load for a clamped-clamped beam with a uniformly distributed force; f = 0, —, { = 0+l $202; = 05, 0.35; 0.30] 0-35} 0-20] ons} 0-0) 0405 0-00! 0 6 10 5 20 25 2 Figure 6, The central amplitude vs, the forcing frequency for a clamped-free beam with a uniformly distributed foree; (= 0-142, B 27/10; —, p =0;~---, p= 45.BEAMS UNDER AXIAL LOAD 401 10) T T T T a ? ol “05 00 05 10 18 20 28 2 Figur, (3) Te rsonantampttede and (the frequency squared the axa foe for wslamped-fe bea with @ uniformly distributed force; f = 0, --+-, £ = 0-05; —, [= 01; ---4 0 = 4.4, PINNED-PINNED BEAM For this case, = x?, p= x? and the boundary conditions are given in equation (6). Resonant amplitudes and the corresponding forcing frequencies are presented in Figure 8 for several combinations of the damping parameters and B. Results for the undamped case are also shown in Figure 8(b). 4.5, CLAMPED-PINNED BEAM Finally, consider the boundary conditions depicted in Figure 1, with y(0) = 0, (0) =0, y(1) = 0, y"(1) =, p,, = 20-19 and w, = 15-42. The effect of p on A, and Q3 is shown in Figure 9 for B = 0 and { =0-05, 0-1 and 0-2. The forms are similar to those in the previous examples. 5, APPROXIMATE FORMULAS Since the relationship 4,(p) has a similar form for different boundary conditions and different damping coefficients, it is possible that the effect of p on A, can be represented approximately by a single formula. The same is true for the quantity 23. The following approximate formulas are proposed: AR) > AgO/1—(P/Ps B® WIL — Pipa} (16a, b)402 L. N. VIRGIN AND R. H. PLAUT Equation (12} for the pinned-pinned beam with a sinusoidally distributed transverse force yields these equations in the limit of vanishing damping. It is expected that the accuracy of equations (16a) and (16b) improves as the level of damping decreases. For damping parameter values £=0-1 and f=0, these approximations are compared in Figure 10 with the exact results from section 4 for clamped-free and clamped-pinned beams. The ratios A,(p)/Ax(0) and M3/w} are plotted vs. p/Pes where p,, and @, depend on the boundary conditions. For these cases, the approxi- mations are plotted as solid curves and are quite accurate, For clamped-clamped and pinned-pinned boundary conditions, the curves are indistinguishable from the approximation curve. It is interesting to compare the resonant amplitude 4,(p) under a harmonically varying force to the static central deflection 44(p) when the transverse force is applied statically (e., when @ =0 in equation (5)). Of course, damping does not affect As(p). The ratio Ag(p)/4s(0) is plotted vs. p/p, in Figure 11 for the clamped-free and clamped-pinned boundary conditions. An approximate formula in this static case is given by As(p) = As(O)/LI - (P/Pa db, ay Figure 8. (a) The resonant amplitude and (b) the frequency squared es. the axial load for a pinned pinned beam with a uniformly distributed force. (a) —, ¢ = 0-1, B= 41 x 10 Bu 83x 10 @) —, 0-0, p= S01, B= 41x B=B3x 10-4BEAMS UNDER AXIAL LOAD 403 5 ° 5 30 16 20 P Figur 9. The reonant amplitude and 0) the frequency squared th ail load for a clamped-pinned ‘beam with @ uniformly distributed force: B = 5 =02 which does not involve a square root. It is also plotted in Figure 11 and again is indistinguishable from the curves for the clamped-clamped and pinned-pinned cases. For the range shown, it yields an upper bound that is extremely close for all cases except the clamped-free beam. The approximate ratio Aq(p)/4 (0) from equation (16a) is larger than the approximate ratio 4,(p)/A,(0) when p <0 and smaller when p > 0. 6. CONCLUDING REMARKS The effect of a static axial load on forced linear vibrations of beams has been investigated. Four sets of boundary conditions were considered, and the beams were subjected to a distributed, harmonically varying, transverse force. In non-dimensional terms, the forcing frequency was denoted Q, the axial toad was p (with p >0 for compression), the steady state amplitude of the central deflection was A(Q,p), the maximum value of A for @ > 0 (which was associated with the vibration mode having the lowest frequency) was A,(p), and the corresponding forcing frequency was Q,. Viscous and viscoelastic damping were included in the analysis; if damping were neglected, Ay would be infinite. The results are only valid for sufficiently small valves of Ag, since a linear analysis was carried out. For large motions, non-linear geometrical and inertial effects should be included, as well as non-linear material behavior.404 LN. VIRGIN AND R. H. PLAUT AglpVAR(0) (b) “02 00 02 04 06 08 10 PIP er Figure 10. The normalized resonant amplitude and (b) the frequency squared xs. the normalized axial toad for clamped-free and clamped-pinned beams with a uniformly distributed force when { = 0:1 and f = 0; also, approximations (16a) and (16b). ----, Clamped-free; ~~~, clamped-pinned; ——, approximation. 10) AAPYALO) ol 00 OF OF 06 os 10 PIP Figure 11. The normalized static central deflection vs. the normalized axial load for clamped-free and clamped pinned beams with uniformly distributed static load; and also approximation (17). Clamped-free; —, clamped-pinned; —, approximation.BEAMS UNDER AXIAL LOAD 405 In one example (section 3), the transverse force was distributed sinusoidally along a pinned-pinned beam, and analytical expressions were obtained for A,(p) and Q,(p). For the other examples (section 4), the force was distributed uniformly. In all the examples, as p increases or the level of damping increases, Aq increases and , decreases. The frequency 92, reaches zero before p reaches p,, (where p., denotes the static critical load when the transverse force is not present) and the response amplitude grows quickly as P> Pe The ratios Aq(p)/4,(0) and 0% /«} were discussed in section 5, where «, is the lowest (non-dimensional) natural frequency (ie., with no damping, axial load or transverse force). Similar relationships were found in all the examples, and the approximate formulas in equations (16a) and (6b) were proposed. The formula for Aq(p)/4,(0) was compared to one for the approximate effect of p on the central deflection under a static transverse force. The approximate formulas in equations (16a) and (16b) may be applicable to other cases, including the following: @) other measures of response amplitude, such as the deflection amplitude at a location other than the center of the span, or the maximum deflection amplitude along the beam; (ii) other spatial distributions of the transverse force, such as concentrated forces, or applied moments; (ii) other periodic variations (in time) of the transverse force; (iv) other boundary conditions, such as elastic restraints; (v) other types of damping; (vi) continuous beams with internal supports; (vii) beams attached to elastic foundations, including conditions for which the towest frequency of free vibration under the axial load is not associated with the “simplest” mode; (viii) other systems, such as strings under tension, plates under in-plane loads, and cylindrical shells loaded along their generators: and (ix) structures having initial imperfections. An investigation of some of these aspects is under way. REFERENCES: 1. H. Lurie 1952 Journal of Applied Mechanics 19, 195-204. Lateral vibrations as related to structural stability. 2. J. SinGeR 1983 in Collapse: the Buckling of Structures in Theory and Practice (5. M. T. Thompson and G. W. Hunt, editors), 443-479. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vibrations and buckling of imperfect stiffened shells—recent developments. P.M. MusumDar and S. SURYANARAYAN 1989 Journal of the Aeronautical Society of India 41, 205-223. Nondestructive techniques for prediction of buckling loads—a review. R.H. PLaur and L. N. VinGtw 1990 Journal of Engineering Mechanics 116, 2330-2335. Use of frequency data to predict buckling. M. A. Souza and L, M. B. Assaib 1991 Experimental Mechanics 31, 93-97. A new technique for the prediction of buckling loads from nondestructive vibration tests. ». S$. C. CHUANG and J. T.-S. WANG 1991 Journal of Sound and Vibration 148, 423-435. Vibration of axially loaded damped beams on viscoelastic foundation. 7. R. W. ChouaH and J. PeNziEN 1975 Dynamics of Structures. New York: McGraw-Hill. aw ee