TRANSVERSE VIBRATION OF MULTI MASS LOADED VARIABLE SECTION BEAMS UNDER RANDOM-EXCITATION

Dynamic analysis of non-uniform section beams with general end conditi ons having arbitrary mass and stiffness distributions and proportional viscous damping distribution with several arbitrarily located point m ass loadings has been presented for non-stationary random input excita tion. Modal analysis has been employed to obtain expressions for secon d order response statistics after decoupling the system equations. The natural frequencies and mode shape functions for such beams are obtai ned in closed form as an intermediate step in the outlined approach. T heoretical results for natural frequencies have been compared with exp erimental evaluations and with data available in the literature. The c omplete approach is illustrated with an example of a cantilever beam s ubjected to support excitation. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.