Vibro-impact dynamics of a periodically forced beam

The vibration and impact dynamics of a periodically forced loosely supporte d beam are analyzed. The ear work rates at impact points are evaluated. The considered beam is clamped at one end, and constrained against unilateral contact at contact sites, with or without friction, near the other end. In this work, the structure is modeled by a Bernoulli-type beam supported by s prings using finite element method. Our model calculations are compared wit h measurements of contact forces and displacements made on a loosely suppor ted rod that was subjected to harmonic loading. Furthermore, the dynamics o f vibro-impacts are characterized by evaluating the impact velocity as a fu nction of harmonic excitation frequency for two idealizations of the aforem entioned structure. [S0094-9930(00)01002-7].