Dynamic stiffness for piecewise non-uniform Timoshenko column by power series - part II: Follower force

A follower force is an applied force whose direction changes according to t he deformed shape during the course of deformation. The dynamic stiffness m atrix of a non-uniform Timoshenko column under follower force is formed by the power-series method. The dynamic stiffness matrix is unsymmetrical due to the non-conservative nature of the follower force. The frequency-depende nt mass matrix is still symmetrical and positive definite according to the extended Leung theorem. An are length continuation method is introduced to find the influence of a concentrated follower force, distributed follower f orce, end mass and stiffness, slenderness, and taper ratio on the natural f requency and stability. It is found that the power-series method can handle a very wide class of dynamic stiffness problem. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wi ley & Sons, Ltd.