International Journal of Applied Engineering

Research and Development(IJAERD)

ISSN(P): 2250-1584; ISSN(E): 2278-9383
Vol. 6, Issue 4, Oct 2016, 1-22
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

INFLUENCE OF RIGID-BODY MOTIONS ON FREE VIBRATION

CHARACTERISTICS OF A FREE-FREE BEAM CARRYING ARBITRARY
CONCENTRATED ELEMENTS
CHIA-CHIN WU
Technology Department, SuperAlloy Industrial Co., Ltd., Yun-Lin, Taiwan
ABSTRACT
In this paper, a beam without any attachments is called bare beam, and the beam attached by any
concentrated elements (CEs) is called loaded beam. One of the predominant differences between the constrained bare
beam (CBB), such as a clamped-free (C-F) beam, and the unconstrained bare beam (UBB), such as a free-free (F-F)
beam, is that all natural frequencies of the CBB are greater than zero and associated with the elastic vibrations of the
CBB, however, the natural frequencies associated with rigid-body motions of the UBB are equal to zero and those
associated with elastic vibrations of the UBB are greater than zero. For a constrained beam, the superposition of the
lowest n ( n 6 ) normal mode shapes for the elastic vibrations of the CBB and the consideration of effects of the

satisfactory accuracy. However, for an unconstrained (F-F) beam, the last approach is not available unless the rigidbody motions of the UBB are also taken into account. For the last reason, this paper aims at presenting a modified
mode-superposition method (MMSM) with natural frequencies and normal mode shapes for both the rigid-body
motions and the elastic vibrations of a F-F bare beam considered, so that the free vibration characteristics of the
associated F-F loaded beam (carrying any CEs) can be easily obtained. It was found that all numerical results obtained
from the MMSM are in good agreements with those obtained from the finite element method (FEM) or the theory for a

Original Article

attached CEs can give the lowest n 1 natural frequencies and mode shapes of the associated loaded beam with

single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) spring-mass system.

KEYWORDS: Bare Beam, Loaded Beam, Rigid-Body Motions, Elastic Vibrations, Modified Mode-Superposition Method
(MMSM)

Received: Jul23, 2016; Accepted: Aug 20, 2016; Published: Aug 24, 2016; Paper Id.: IJAERDOCT20161

INTRODUCTION
In engineering, the dynamic characteristics of some structural systems can be predicted by using a beam
carrying various concentrated elements (CEs) such as lumped masses (with eccentricities and rotary inertias),
translational springs, rotational springs and/or spring-mass systems, so that the reports in this area are plenty
[1-23]. In the existing literature, most researchers adopted the classical analytical methods to obtain the analytical
solutions for free vibrations of the loaded beams [1-11]. After the advent of computers, the transfer matrix
method (TMM) becomes one of the popular approaches for the above-mentioned problems [12-18], and so does
the finite element method [19-22]. Because the order of matrix for the characteristic equation derived from the
mode-superposition method (MSM) is equal to the total number ( n ) of vibration modes considered in the
formulations and, usually, n is much less than the order of that derived from the classical analytical methods or
FEM so that a lot of computer time can be saved, the MSM has been found to be attractive for solving the last

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Chia-Chin Wu

problems [21-23].
Since most problems studied in the foregoing reports are the positive definite systems, no information regarding
rigid-body motions are mentioned in the existing literature. However, even for an elastic-supported beam existing the
rigid-body motions [11,22], the above-mentioned approaches do not determine the corresponding natural frequencies and
mode shapes (for rigid-body motions), and it is found that the formulations of the existing approaches only consider the
solution for equation of motion of the elastic vibrations, Y ( x) 4 0 , and neglect that of the rigid-body motions,

Y (x ) 0 , where Y (x) is the transverse mode-displacement function of the bare beam with x denoting the axial
coordinate, the primes denote differentiations with respect to x, and is the frequency coefficient. For the above reason,
this paper aims at presenting a modified MSM (MMSM) with the natural frequencies and mode shapes for the rigid-body
(heave and pitch) motions of a F-F bare beam taken into consideration in addition to those for the elastic vibrations, so
that the natural frequencies along with mode shapes for both the quasi rigid-body motions and the elastic vibrations of
a F-F loaded beam (carrying any number of various CEs) can be easily obtained. Numerical examples reveal that the
conventional MSM (CMSM) can provide neither any information regarding rigid-body motions nor satisfactory
solutions regarding elastic vibrations of the F-F loaded beam because of neglecting the effect of rigid-body motions of
the F-F bare beam in its formulation.

FORMULATION OF MODIFIED MODE-SUPERPOSITION METHOD (MMSM)

This section is composed of three parts: The first part determines the natural frequencies and normal mode
shapes associated with elastic vibrations of an F-F uniform bare beam. The second part determines those associated
with rigid-body motions of the bare beam. The third part performs the free vibration analysis of the loaded beam by
using the mode-superposition method (MSM) incorporated with the effects of all attached CEs.
Elastic Vibrations of a Uniform Bare Beam
The equation of motion for free vibrations of a uniform bare beam (cf. Figure 1) is given by [24, 25]
EI u y ( x, t ) Auy ( x, t ) 0

(1)

where u y ( x, t ) is the transverse displacement in y-direction at axial coordinate x and time t, E and are Youngs
modulus and mass density of the beam material, respectively, I is moment of inertia of the cross-sectional area A, while the
primes and the overhead dots denote the differentiations with respect to x and t, respectively.
For free vibrations, one has
u y ( x, t ) Y ( x) e jt

(2)

where Y (x) is the amplitude function of u y ( x, t ) , is the natural frequency of the entire bare beam, t is time and

j 1 .
The substitution of Eq. (2) into Eq. (1) produces
Y ( x) 4 Y ( x ) 0

(3)

where
Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

4 2 A ( EI )

(4)

or

r ( r L) 2 EI ( AL4 ) (rad/sec)

(5)

Figure 1: A Free-free (F-F) Uniform Beam Carrying n 1 Sets of Concentrated Elements (CEs) with
Each Set of CEs Consisting of a Lumped Mass mi (with Eccentricity ei and Rotary
Inertia J i ) andaTranslational Spring with Stiffness ki , for i 1 to n 1
Where r is the rth natural frequency, L is the beam length and r L is the non-dimensional frequency coefficient.
The solution of Eq. (3) takes the form [11,18]
Yr ( x) C1 cosh r x C2 sinh r x C3 cos r x C4 sin r x

(6)

Where C1 C 4 are the integration constants determined by the boundary conditions (BCs) of the bare beam. For
the F-F bare beam shown in Figure 1, its BCs are:
Yr (0) 0 , Yr (0) 0 , at left end (with x 0)

(7a,b)

Yr( L) 0 , Yr ( L) 0 , at right end (with x L)

(8a,b)

From Eqs. (6) and (7a,b) one obtains

C3 C1 , C 4 C2

(9a,b)

The substitution of Eqs. (9a,b) into Eq. (6) yields

Yr ( x) C1 (cosh r x cos r x) C2 (sinh r x sin r x )

(10)

From Eqs. (10) and (8a,b), one obtains

C1 (cosh r L cos r L) C2 (sinh r L sin r L) 0
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(11a)
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Chia-Chin Wu

C1 (sinh r L sin r L) C2 (cosh r L cos r L) 0

(11b)

The non-trivial solution of the above two equations requires that

( r L)

cosh r L cos r L

sinh r L sin r L

sinh r L sin r L

cosh r L cos r L

(12)

The expansion of Eq. (12) produces

cosh r L cos r L 1

(13)

Which is the frequency equation for the uniform F-F bare beam. By using the half-interval method [25,26] one
obtains the lowest six non-dimensional frequency coefficients to be:

r L 4.7300, 7.8532, 10.9956, 14.1372, 17.2788 and 20.4204

(14)

Once the dimensions and material constants of the beam ( L , A , I , , E ) are given, one may obtain the lowest
six natural frequencies r ( r 1 6 ) from Eqs. (5) and (14), and the corresponding natural mode shapes can be obtained
from Eqs. (11b) and (10):
Yr ( x ) Ar [(cosh r x cos r x ) Dr (sinh r x sin r x)]

(15)

where
sinh r L sin r L
cosh r L cos r L

Dr

(16)

In Eq. (15), the symbol Ar is an arbitrary constant. However, in the MSM, one requires the normal mode
shapes instead of the natural ones, in such a case, the former may be obtained from Eq. (15) by setting

~
~
Yr ( x ) Ar [(cosh r x cos r x ) Dr (sinh r x sin r x)]

(17)

then, introducing the above equation into the following orthonormality conditions

~
~
Yr ( x) A Ys ( x) dx rs

(18)

Where the symbol rs denotes the Kronecker delta function defined by

1, if r s
rs
0, if r s

(19)

From Eqs. (17)-(19) one obtains

~
Ar 1

AS rr

(20)

where
S rr

[(cosh x cos x) D (sinh x sin x)] dx

0

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

(21)

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

The analytical integration of Eq. (21) is tedious, thus, the numerical integration is performed in this paper by using
the Simpsons rule [27-29] with subdivisions n Simpson 400 in the space from x 0 to L .
~
~
The constant Ar obtained from Eq. (20) is called the normalizationfactor, and inserting Ar in Eqs. (17) will

~
~
~
determine the rth normal mode shape of the F-F bare beam, Yr ( x) . It is noted that the values of Yr ( x ) and Yr( x ) can be
obtained from the differentiations of Eq. (17) with respect to x.
Rigid-Body Motions of the Uniform Bare Beam
Since the natural frequencies for all rigid-body motions of the bare beam are equal to zero, in such a situation,
Eq. (4) indicates that 0 and Eq. (3) reduces to
Y ( x ) 0

(22)

Which is the equation for rigid-body motions of the F-F bare beam. The integrations of Eq. (22) lead to

Y ( x ) C 0 C1 x C 2 x 2 C3 x 3

(23)

Imposing the BCs given by Eqs. (7a, b) for the left free end of the bare beam to Eq. (23), one obtains
C 2 C3 0

(24)

From Eqs. (23) and (24) one has

Y ( x ) C 0 C1 x

(25)

The above equation indicates that Y ( x) 0 and Y ( x ) 0 , thus, the BCs at right end of the bare beam
(at x L) given by Eqs. (8a,b) are satisfied by Eq. (25), automatically. Furthermore, Eq. (25) may be considered as a
linear combination of the following two equations [24]
Y1 ( x) C0 12 C1 L B0

(a constant)(26)

Y2 ( x ) C1 ( x 12 L)

(27)

It is noted that Eq. (26) represents the rigid-body heave motion of the F-F bare beam in the transverse y-direction,
and Eq. (27) denotes the rigid-body pitch motion about its center of gravity.
Introducing Eqs. (26) and (27) into the next orthonormality conditions
L

AY
0

( x )dx 1 ( r 1,2 )

(28)

one obtains the normalization factors for the normal mode shapes of rigid-body heave and pitch motions
B0 1

AL ,

C1 12 ( AL3 )

(29a,b)

Thus, the normal mode shapes and their derivatives for rigid-body motions of the F-F bare beam are given by
~
YR1 ( x) B0 1
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~
~
AL , YR1 ( x) YR1 ( x) 0 (heave)

(30a,b,c)
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Chia-Chin Wu

~
YR 2 ( x) C1 ( x 12 L)

~
12
, YR2 ( x) 0
AL3

12
~
( x 0.5 L) , YR2 ( x)
AL3

(pitch)

(31a,b,c)

The corresponding natural frequencies are equal to zero, i.e.

R1 R 2 0

(32a,b)

~
In Eqs (30)-(32), the subscripts R for Y and refer to rigid-body motions.
Free Vibration Analysis of the F-F Loaded Beam (Carrying CEs)
For a uniform Euler-Bernoulli beam subjected to the exciting force per unit length, P( x, t ) , and the exciting
moment per unit length, M b ( x, t ) , the equation of motion is given by [25]
EI u y ( x, t ) Auy ( x, t ) P ( x, t ) M b ( x, t )

(33)

The F-F beam shown in Figure 1 carries n 1 sets of concentrated elements (CEs) with each set of CEs consisting
of a lumped mass mi (with eccentricity ei and rotary inertia J i ) and a translational spring with stiffness ki , thus, during
free vibrations, the exciting forces and moments on the bare beam are given by, with u y u y ( x, t ) ,
P ( x, t )

M b ( x, t )

n 1
i 1

[( m i uy k i u y ) mi ei uy ] ( x xi )

(34a)

n 1
i 1

[( J i mi ei2 )uy mi ei uy ] ( x xi )

(34b)

Where () is the Dirac delta function, and in Eq. (34a), ( m i uy mi ei uy ) denotes the inertial forces due to the
ith eccentric lumped mass mi and ki u y denotes the reactive force due to the ith translational spring ki . Besides, in Eq.
(34b), (mi ei uy mi ei2uy ) ( m i uy mi ei uy )ei denotes the inertial moments induced by the last inertial forces, while
J i uy denotes the inertial moment due to the rotary inertia J i of the ith lumped mass. It is noted that, the ith set of CEs

may represent the ith lumped mass mi (with eccentricity ei and rotary inertia J i ) only, if one sets k i 0 . Of course, the
ith set of CEs may also represent the ith translation spring ki only, if one sets mi J i ei 0 . When the distributed
external exciting forces and moments at right-hand side of Eq. (33) are replaced by the concentrated inertial (and reactive)
forces and moments given by Eqs. (34a,b), one obtains the equation of motion for the loaded beam to be
EIu y Auy

n 1
i 1

(m i uy k i u y ) ( x xi )

n 1

i 1

( J i mi ei2 )uy ( x xi )

(35)

Eq. (35) is equivalent to the equation of motion for a forced vibrating system with the inertial forces (and reactive
forces) of all CEs as the exciting forces. According to the expansion theorem [24] or the mode-superposition methodology
[30] one may assume that
u y u y ( x, t )

n
s 1

~
Y s ( x ) s (t )

(36)

~
where Ys ( x) is the sth normal mode shape of the bare beam, s (t ) is the associated generalized coordinate and

n is the total number of vibration modes considered.

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

Substituting Eq. (36) into Eq. (35), pre-multiplying the resulting equation by

n
r 1

~
Yr ( x)dx , and then integrating

each term over the total beam length L, one obtains

A[S

YY
rs nn

m [S
n 1

i 1

YY
rs

( xi )]nn ( J i mi ei2 )[S rsYY ( xi )]nn s (t ) EI[ SrsYY ]nn

n 1

i 1

ki [S rsYY ( xi )]nn s (t ) 0

(37)

where
[ S rsYY ] n n

r 1

s 1

~
~
Yr ( x)Ys ( x)dx , [ S rsYY ] n n

[ S rsYY ( x i )] n n

[ S rsYY ( x i )] n n

r 1

s 1

r 1

s 1

L
0

~
~
Yr ( x )Y s ( x ) ( x x i )dx

L
0

r 1

s 1

~
~
Yr ( x)Ys( x ) ( x xi )dx

r 1

s 1

L
0

~
~
Yr ( x)Ys ( x)dx

(38a,b)

~
~
Yr ( x i )Ys ( x i )

(38c)

~
~
Yr ( x i )Ys( x i )

(38d)

r 1

s 1

In matrix form, Eq. (37) can be rewritten as

([m0 ] [mc ] [mJ ]){} ([k 0 ] [k t ]){ } 0

(39)

where
1 (t )
1 (t )

(
t
)
(t )

{ } { (t )} 2 , {} 2


n (t )
n (t )
[ m0 ] A [ S rsYY ] nn , [mc ]
[ k 0 ] EI [ S rsYY ]n n , [k t ]

n 1

i 1

mi [ S rsYY ( xi )]n n , [m J ]

(40a,b)

n 1
i 1

( J i mi ei2 )[S rsYY ( xi )]nn (41a,b,c)

n 1
i 1

k i [S rsYY ( xi )]n n

(41d,e)

with

[ S rsYZ ]nn

S11YZ
YZ
S
21

YZ
S n1

[ S rsYZ ( xi )]nn

S12YZ
S

YZ
22

S nYZ 2

S1YZn

S 2YZn
(for Z Y or Y )

S nYZn

S11YZ ( xi ) S12YZ ( xi )
YZ
S ( x ) S 22YZ ( xi )
21 i

YZ
YZ
S n1 ( xi ) S n2 ( xi )

S1YZn ( xi )

S 2YZn ( xi )
(for Z Y or Y )

S nYZn ( xi )

(42a)

(42b)

From Eqs. (18), (19), (38b) and (41a), one sees that
[ m 0 ] A [ S rsYY ] nn 1 1 1 nn [ \ I \ ] nn (a diagonal matrix)

(43)

with the symbol denoting a diagonal matrix. Furthermore, Eqs. (3) and (4) reveal that

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Chia-Chin Wu

Ys ( x) 4Ys ( x)

2
AYs ( x) (44)
EI

Thus, from Eqs. (38a), (41d), (43) and (44), one obtains
[ k 0 ] EI [ S rsYY ] n n 2 A[ S rsYY ] n n [ \ 2 \ ] n n 12

22 n2

(45)

nn

In the modified MSM (MMSM) with effect of rigid-body motions considered, the lowest two natural
frequencies ( 1 and 2 ) in Eq. (45) denote the first and second natural frequencies for rigid-body motions of the bare
beam, i.e., 1 R1 0 and 2 R 2 0 , while all the other natural frequencies ( 3 to n ) denote those for elastic
vibrations of the bare beam.
For free vibrations of the loaded beam, one has

r (t ) r e j t ( r 1 n )

(46)

Where r denotes the amplitude of r (t ) and is the natural frequency of the entire loaded beam.
The substitution of Eq. (46) into Eq. (39) produces
[ k ]{ }r r2 [ m ]{ }r

( r 1 n )

(47a)

or
[ k ][ ] [ m ][ ][ \ 2 \ ]

(47b)

where
[ k ] [ k 0 ] [ k t ] , [m ] [m0 ] [mc ] [mJ ] , [ ] [{ }1 { }2 { }n ]

(48a,b,c)

Eq. (47) is an eigenproblem equation and can be solved for the rth eigenvalues r and eigenvectors { }r ,
r 1 n , by using the generalized Jacobi method [20,25]. Finally, the corresponding rth mode shapes for the loaded

beam are determined by

~
Yr ( x ) [Y ( x)]{ }r ( r 1 n )

(49)

where
~
~
~
~
[Y ( x)] [Y1 ( x) Y2 ( x) Yn ( x)] , { }r [1 2

n ]Tr

(50a,b)

~
In the MMSM with effect of rigid-body motions considered, the lowest two normal mode shapes, Y1 ( x) and
~
~
~
Y2 ( x) , in Eq. (50a) denote the first and second ones for rigid-body motions of the F-F bare beam, i.e., Y1 ( x) YR1 ( x )

~
~
~
~
and Y2 ( x) YR 2 ( x ) , while all the other normal mode shapes ( Y3 ( x) to Yn ( x ) ) denote those for elastic vibrations of the

F-F bare beam. Furthermore, Eq. (49) indicates that each mode shape of the loaded beam is a combination of normal
mode shapes of rigid-body motions and those of elastic vibrations of the F-F bare beam, thus, the lowest two mode
shapes of the F-F elastic loaded beam obtained from the MMSM are called the quasi rigid-body mode shapes to
distinguish them from the classical rigid-body (heave and pitch) mode shapes of the F-F rigid loaded beam studied in
Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

Appendix.

FORMULATION OF FINITE ELEMENT METHOD (FEM)

In order to confirm the correctness of the foregoing theory for the MMSM and the developed computer programs,
the title problem is also solved with the conventional FEM, thus, some key points concerned are presented in this section.
To this end, the typical two-node elements for the bare beam and the loaded beam are shown in Figures 2(a) and (b),
respectively, with and denoting the first and second nodes for each beam element. Since each node has two degrees of
freedom (DOFs), each beam element has four DOFs with associated node displacements represented by u1 , u 2 , u 3 and u 4 ,
where u1 and u3 denote the translations in y-direction, and u2 and u4 denote the rotations about z-axis. For the onedimensional beam shown in Figure 1, the local coordinate system ( xyz ) shown in Figure 2 for each beam element is
identical to the global coordinate system ( x yz ) for the entire beam (shown in Figure 1).
The stiffness matrix [ k]e and mass matrix [ m]e for each bare beam element (Figure 2(a)) take the form
k11
k
[k ]e 21
k 31

k 41

k12
k 22

k13
k 23

k 32
k 42

k 33
k 43

k14
m11 m12 m13 m14

m
m22 m23 m24
k 24
, [m]e 21
m31 m32 m33 m34
k 34

k 44
m41 m42 m43 m44

(51a,b)

while the corresponding ones for the loaded beam element (Figure 2(b)) are given by

(52a,b)
The coefficients k ij and m ij ( i, j 1 4 ) for the stiffness matrices [k]e and [k ]e as well as the mass matrices

[ m]e and [m]e in Eqs. (51a,b) and (52a,b) are for the bare beam element and can be obtained from the existing literature
[19,31], while the additional terms (such as ki , mi , J i ei2 mi and ei mi , for i 1,2 ) appearing in Eqs. (52a,b) for the
loaded beam element are due to contributions of the CEs to the relevant stiffnesses and masses (including mass moments
of inertia) [25]. It is noted that, in Eqs. (52a,b), ki , m i , ei and J i denote the stiffness, lumped mass, eccentricity and rotary
inertia for the CEs attached to node i ( i 1 and/or 2), as one may see from Figure 2(b), thus, any one of the last parameters
may be equal to zero if no associated CE is attached to node i ( i 1 and/or 2). For example, one may set
m2 e2 J 2 k 2 0 , if no CEs are attached to node ; e1 J 1 0 and e2 J 2 0 if each lumped mass does not

possess the eccentricity and rotary inertia, etc.

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10

Chia-Chin Wu

Figure 2(a): The Two-node Bare Beam Element, and (b) The Corresponding Loaded Beam
Element,with each Node Attached by a Lumped Mass mi (with Eccentricity ei and
Rotary Inertia J i )and a Translational Spring with Stiffness ki (for i 1,2 ).
Once the element property matrices for each beam element are determined from Eqs. (51) or (52), by using the
general assembly method, one may obtain the overall stiffness matrix [K ] and overall mass matrix [M ] for the entire
bare beam or loaded beam and the equation of motion for the entire vibrating system

[ M ]{u(t )} [ K ]{u (t )} 0

(53)

For an F-F beam such as that shown in Figure 1, no constrained DOF must be eliminated. Thus, the order of [K ]
or [M ] in Eq. (53) is 2(ne 1) 2(ne 1) , if the entire beam is composed of ne beam elements.
For free vibrations, one has
{u (t )} {U }e j t

(54)

Where {U } denotes the amplitude of node-displacement vector {u (t )} , denotes the natural frequency of the
bare beam or loaded beam (dependent on the property matrices [K ] and [M ] to be obtained from the bare beam or
loaded beam), t is time and j 1 . The substitution of Eq. (54) into Eq. (53) leads to
[ K ][U ] [ M ][U ][ \ 2 \ ]

(55)

where
[U ] 2 ( ne 1)2 ( ne 1) [{U }1 {U }2 {U }2 ( ne 1) ] ,

[ \ 2 \ ]2 ( ne 1)2 ( ne 1) 12

22 22( ne 1)

(56a,b)

Eq. (55) is a standard eigenproblem equation, so that one may obtain the natural frequencies r and the
associated natural mode shapes {U} r , r 1,2,3,... , 2 ( n e 1) , from it by using the Jacobi method [19,25]. In general, the
order of Eq. (55) derived from FEM, 2 (n e 1) , is much higher than that of Eq. (47) derived from MMSM, n , and so is the
CPU times required by FEM and MMSM.
Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

11

NUMERICAL EXAMPLES AND DISCUSSIONS

Validation of Presented Theory and Developed Computer Programs
The formulation of MMSM is for the unconstrained (F-F) loaded beam (carrying any CEs), but it is also available
for the constrained loaded beam such as the clamped-free (C-F) beam, if the BCs of the F-F beam are replaced by those of
the constrained beam and the effect of the rigid-body motions of the F-F bare beam are neglected. Thus, it is reasonable to
confirm the reliability of the developed computer programs by comparing the numerical results for a constrained C-F beam
with those of the existing literature in addition to the results of the FEM. The C-F beam studied here carries five identical
lumped masses (each with magnitude mi AL 5 ) as shown in Figure 3, and its dimensions and material constants are
[23]: diameter d 2 , length L 40 , mass density 0.283 lb m in 3 and Youngs modulus E 30106 psi. Table 1 lists
the lowest four natural frequencies of the loaded beam, r (rad/sec, r 1 4 ), and those of the bare beam, r
(rad/sec, r 1 4 ), obtained from MMSM and FEM presented in this paper and those given by [23]. It is seen that the
results of MMSM are very close to those of FEM and [23] for either the loaded beam or bare beam. Thus, the MMSM
is also available for free vibration analysis of the constrained loaded beams.

Figure 3: A Uniform C-F Beam Carrying Five Identical Lumped Masses each with
mi AL 5 and ei J i 0 Located at x i 0.6L, 0.7L, 0.8L, 0.9L and L, Respectively
Table 1: The Lowest Four Natural Frequencies of the C-F Beam CarryingFive Lumped
MassesEach with m i AL 5 and ei J i 0 ( i 1 5 ) as Shown in Figure 3
Natural Frequencies of Loaded Beam, r (rad/sec)
Remarks
1
2
3
4
a
Present (MMSM)
6.2549
47.0940
146.1599
272.0517
n 6
b
n
Present (FEM)
6.2549
47.0804
145.9948
270.9676
e 40
Ref. [23]
6.2548
47.0944
146.2855
275.4702

c
Natural frequencies of bare beam, r (rad/sec)
1
2
3
4
Present (MMSM)
11.3127
70.8958
198.5103
389.0009

ne 40
Present (FEM)
11.3127
70.8958
198.5105
389.0024
Ref. [23]
11.3127
70.8957
198.5104
388.9981

a
n Total number of modes considered for the MMSM.
b
ne Total number of beam elements for the FEM.
Methods

r ( r L) 2 EI (AL4 ) 3.217492( r L) 2 (natural frequencies of bare beam).

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12

Chia-Chin Wu

Influence of Concentrated Elements

The mathematical model for the uniform F-F beam carrying five sets of CEs studied in this subsection is shown
inFigure 4. In which, each set of CEs consists of a lumped mass m i (with eccentricity ei androtary inertia J i ) and a
translational spring with stiffness k i , for i 1 to 5 . The dimensions and material constants of the beam are: diameter
d 0.05 m, length L 2.0 m, mass density 7850 kg m 3 and Youngs modulus E 2.068 1011 N m 2 . For

convenience, three reference parameters are introduced: reference mass m ref AL 30 .826876 kg, reference rotary inertia
J ref IL 0 .004817 kg m 2 and reference stiffness k ref EI L3 7930.680292 N m . In the last expressions, the

symbol I denotes the moment of inertia of the cross-sectional area A . In addition, the following non-dimensional
parameters for the CEs are also introduced:
m i* mi m ref , ei* e i L , J i* J i J ref , k i* k i k ref

(for i 1 5 )

(57a-d)

Figure 4: A Free-free (F-F) Uniform Beam Carrying Five Sets of Concentrated Elements (CEs) with Each
Set of CEs Consisting of a Lumped Mass mi (with Eccentricity ei and Rotary Inertia J i ) and a
Translational Spring with Stiffness ki , for i 1 to 5
First of all, the lowest five natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes for the F-F bare beam are studied.
The results are shown in Table 2(a) and Figures 5 and 6. From Table 2(a) one sees that lowest five natural frequencies r
(rad/s, r 1 5 ) obtained from MMSM are very close to those obtained from FEM, and so are the corresponding unitamplitude mode shapes obtained from MMSM and FEM as one may see from Figure 5. It is noted that, in Figure 5, the
mode shapes obtained from MMSM are denoted by the solid lines (), while those from FEM by the dashed lines
( ), in addition, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th mode shapes are represented by (), (), (), () and (),
respectively.
From Eqs. (43) and (45), one sees that the orthonormality conditions for the normal mode shapes of rigid-body
motions and those of elastic vibrations of the F-F bare beam are the key requirements for the MMSM to be available for
the title problem, thus, the Kronecker delta matrix [ ] for the lowest eight normal mode shapes of the F-F bare beam
obtained from computer is shown below:

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

13

(58)
In Eq. (58), the 1st and 2ndnormal mode shapes are obtained from rigid-body motions and the 3rd to 8th ones are
from elastic vibrations of the F-F bare beam as shown in Figure 6, with the two rigid-body mode shapes denoted by the
dashed lines and the six elastic ones by the solid lines. From Eq. (58) one sees that all diagonal coefficients are equal to 1.0
and all off-diagonal ones approach zero so that the Kronecker delta matrix [ ] approaches an identity matrix [ \ I \ ] . In
other words, the normal mode shapes of rigid-body motions and those of elastic vibrations for the F-F bare beam are
orthonormal each other.
Next, the influence of the CEs on the free vibration characteristics of the F-F loaded beam is studied and the
results are shown in Table 2(b) for the lowest five natural frequencies and in Figures 7(a)-(d) for the lowest five unitamplitude mode shapes. In Table 2(b), four cases are studied: All CEs are equal to zero except mi* 0.2 ( i 1 ~ 5 ) for Case
1; All CEs are equal to zero except each lumped mass with eccentricity and rotary inertia ( mi* 0.2 , ei* 0.01 and
J i* 0.2 ) for Case 2; All CEs are equal to zero except each translational spring with k i* 1.0 for Case 3; All CEs are

attached to the F-F beam with mi* 0.2 , ei* 0.01 , J i* 0.2 and k i* 1.0 ( i 1 ~ 5 ) for Case 4. From Table 2(b) and
Appendix (at end of this paper) one sees that:

The lowest two natural frequencies represent those of the rigid-body motions and the others represent those of
the elastic vibrations of the loaded beam. For convenience, they are denoted by 1 R1 , 2 R 2 , 3 E1 ,

4 E 2 and 5 E 3 with the subscripts R and E representing the rigid-body motions and the elastic
vibrations of the loaded beam, respectively.

According to the theory for the single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) spring-mass (S-M) system given in Appendix,
an elastically supported rigid F-F loaded beam is like a SDOF S-M system, thus, its natural frequency for the
translational (heave) motion, hiv , and that for the rotational (pitch) motion, pih , are given by Eqs (A.1a,b), i.e.,

hiv k hiv m hiv , pih k pih J pih

(59a,b)

Where k hiv and m hiv are the effective stiffness and mass of the loaded beam for heave motion, while k pih and
J pih are the effective stiffness and mass moment of inertia of the loaded beam for pitch motion.

For Case 1 of Table 2(b), the attached CEs are only five lumped masses each with m i* 0.2 . Since they have no
contribution to the stiffness khiv or k pih , one has k hiv k pih 0 and hiv pih 0 according to Eqs. (59a,b). This is the
reason why R1 R 2 0 as shown in Table 2(b). For this Case 1, one also sees that the CMSM does not provide any
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14

Chia-Chin Wu

information regarding rigid-body motions of the F-F loaded beam, besides, the maximum percentage difference of the
CMSM ( 6.513 % ) is also much greater than that of the MMSM ( 0.357% ). Where the value of is obtained
from the following equation

( r , X r , FEM ) 100 % r , FEM

(60)

In above equation, r , FEM denotes the rth natural frequency of the loaded beam obtained from FEM, and r , X
(with X = MMSM, CMSM or Eqs.(59a,b)) denotes that obtained from modified MSM (MMSM), conventional MSM
(CMSM) or Eqs. (59a,b).

For Case 2 of Table 2(b), the attached CEs are five lumped masses each with m i* 0.2 , ei* 0.01 and J i* 0.2 .
Since these CEs have also no contribution to the stiffness k hiv or k pih , one has k hiv k pih 0 and hiv pih 0
according to Eq. (59a,b). For this reason, R 1 R 2 0 as one may see from Table 2(b). Besides, the maximum
percentage difference of the CMSM ( 6.329 % ) is also much greater than that of the MMSM ( 0.472 % ).

For Case 3 of Table 2(b), the attached CEs are only five translational springs each with k i* 1.0 . According to Eqs.
(A.5) and (A.8) of Appendix, the contributions of k i ( i 1 5 ) to the stiffnesses of heave and pitch motions are
k hiv

5
i 1

k i (for heave motion), k pih

5
i 1

k i rci2 (for pitch motion)

(61a,b)

In Eq. (61b), the symbol r ci denotes the distance between the center of gravity of the bare beam, C, and the
attaching point of the ith concentrate element k i as one may see from Figure A.1(b) of Appendix. Furthermore, for the
present Case 3, the values of m hiv and J pih are given by Eqs. (A.2a,b), i.e.,
m hiv m b AL , J pih J b mb ( L2 12)

(62a,b)

Where m b and J b denote the total mass and total mass moment of inertia of the bare beam itself, respectively.
For the present example, the natural frequencies for heave and pitch motions are given by Eqs. (A.11a,b), i.e.,

hiv khiv mhiv 35.8654 rad/sec, pih kpih J pih 43.9260 rad/sec

(63a,b)

Comparing with the corresponding ones, given by Case 3 of Table 2(b), for quasi rigid-body motions of the
elastic loaded beam, one sees that the above natural frequencies for heave and pitch motions of the rigid loaded beam
(given by Eqs. (63a,b)), hiv and pih , are very close to and slightly greater than the corresponding ones, R1 35 .8223
rad/s and R 2 43.9034 rad/s, obtained from the MMSM, respectively. This is a reasonable results, because the
determinations of R,1 and R,2 have considered the effects of elastic vibrations of the bare beam, but the values of hiv
and pih have nothing to do with the last effects as one may see from Appendix.

For Case 4 of Table 2(b), the attached CEs include five identical sets of CEs with each set of CEs consisting of a
lumped mass with mi* 0.2 (with ei* 0.01 and J i* 0.2 ) and a translational spring with k i* 1.0 ( i 1 ~ 5 ).
For the present Case 4, the values of k hiv and k pih are the same as those given by Eqs. (61a,b) for Case 3, but the

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

15

contributions of the lumped masses to the effective inertia parameters ( m hiv and J pih ) of the loaded beam are given
by Eqs. (A.13a,b), and the natural frequencies for heave and pitch motions are given by Eqs. (A.15a,b), i.e.,

hiv k hiv mhiv 25.3606 rad/sec, pih k pih J pih 27.77812 rad/sec

(64a,b)

From Table 2(b), one sees that the conclusions presented in last paragraph for Case 3 are also available for the
present Case 4.

Based on the foregoing discussions and Table 2(b), one finds that the natural frequencies for the quasi rigid-body
motions of the elastic loaded beam ( R1 and R 2 ) obtained from the MMSM are very close to those for heave
and pitch motions of the rigid loaded beam ( hiv and pih ) obtained from Eqs. (59a,b), and both of them are
very close to the corresponding ones obtained from FEM.

From Tables 2(a) and 2(b), one sees that the lumped masses with (or without) eccentricities and rotary inertias can
reduce the natural frequencies for elastic vibrations of the loaded beam, while the effect of the translational
springs is reverse. For Case 4 of Table 2(b), the combined effect of all the above-mentioned CEs is to reduce the
natural frequencies for elastic vibrations of the loaded beam. However, it is evident that the combined effect of
all CEs is dependent on the relative magnitudes between the CEs.
Besides the lowest five natural frequencies of the loaded beam listed in Table 2(b), the corresponding unit-

amplitude mode shapes are also plotted in Figures 7(a)-(d) for Cases 1-4, respectively. It is seen that the mode shapes
obtained from the MMSM (denoted by solid lines) are in good agreements with those obtained from FEM (denoted by the
dashed lines).
Table 2(a): The Lowest Five Natural Frequencies of the F-F Bare Beam (cf. Figure 4); (b) the Influence of
Various CEs on the Lowest Five Natural Frequencies of the F-F Loaded Beam Carrying Five Sets of
CEs (cf. Figure 4) Located at x 1 0 (Node 1), x 2 0.5m (Node 11), x3 1.0 m (Node 21), x4 1.5 m
(Node 31) and x5 2.0 m (Node 41), Based on n 6 (or 8, Including 2 Rigid-Body Modes) and n e 40
(a) for the Bare Beam
Methods
MMSM
FEM

Natural Frequencies of Bare Beam, r (rad/sec)

1
2
3
4
5
358.8560 989.2004 1939.2283 3205.6429 4788.6775
358.8560 989.2008 1939.2315 3205.6571 4788.7246

Remarks

n e 40

(b) for the Loaded Beam

a

Cases

Concentrated
Elements

mi* ei*

0.2

J i*

ki*

Methods

Rigid-Body
Motions
Considered?

CMSM

No ( n 6 )

MMSM

Yes ( n 8 )

Eqs. (59a,b)
e

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FEM

Natural Frequencies of Loaded Beam, r (rad/sec)

1
( R1 )

2
( R2 )

3
( E1 )

()
0
(0.000%)

()
0
(0.000%)

Yes

0
(0.000%)

0
(0.000%)

()

213.7777

4
( E2 )

5
( E3 )

209.2679 547.6917 1125.1376

(-2.110%) (-6.513%) (-1.414%)
213.6226 587.9437 1137.8304
(-0.073%) (0.357%) (-0.302%)

()

()

585.8498 1141.2713

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16

Chia-Chin Wu

Table 2: Contd.,

0.2 0.01 0.2

0.2 0.01 0.2

CMSM

No ( n 6 )

MMSM

Yes ( n 8 )

Eqs. (59a,b)

Yes

FEM

CMSM

No ( n 6 )

MMSM

Yes ( n 8 )

Eqs. (59a,b)

Yes

FEM

CMSM

No ( n 6 )

MMSM

Yes ( n 8 )

Eqs. (59a,b)

Yes

FEM

()
0
(0.000%)
0
(0.000%)
0

()
35.8223
(0.034%)
35.8654
(0.154%)
35.8101

()
25.3529
(0.015%)
25.3606
(0.045%)
25.3491

()
0
(0.000%)
0
(0.000%)
0

()
43.9034
(-0.069%)
43.9260
(-0.018%)
43.9337

()
27.7789
(0.008%)
27.7812
(0.017%)
27.7766

209.2193
(-2.060%)
213.5316
(-0.041%)

()
213.6194
362.2639
(0.002%)
362.2679
(0.003%)

()
362.2583
211.2475
(-1.973%)
215.4137
(-0.040%)

()
215.5002

547.1943
(-6.329%)
586.9189
(0.472%)

()
584.1635
990.5951
(-0.001%)
990.5959
(-0.001%)

()
990.6062
548.0194
(-6.292%)
587.5687
(0.471%)

()
584.8172

1120.9707
(-1.375%)
1133.2655
(-0.293%)

()
1136.5991
1940.0979
(0.000%)
1940.0980
(0.000%)

()
1940.0958
1121.3063
(-1.373%)
1133.5915
(-0.293%)

()
1136.9207

m i* m i m ref , ei* ei L , J i* J i J ref , k i* k t k ref ( i 1 ~ 5 )

b
CMSM = Conventional MSM, c MMSM = Modified MSM,
d
Eqs. (59a,b) based on theory for a SDOF spring-mass system shown in Appendix, e FEM with ne 40 ,
f
Percentage differences determined by ( r , X r , FEM ) 100% r , FEM .

Figure 5: The Lowest Five Unit-amplitude Mode Shapes for Elastic Vibrations of the F-F
Bare Beam (Figure 4) with Natural Frequencies shown in Table 2(a) Obtained from
MMSM () and FEM ( )

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

17

~
Normal mode displacements, Yr(x)

0.35
0.30

The lowest 8 normal mode shapes

of the F-F bare beam

0.25
0.20
0.15

1st rigid mode shape

0.10

2nd rigid mode shape

0.05
0.00

1st elastic mode shape

-0.05
-0.10

2nd elastic mode shape

-0.15

3rd elastic mode shape

-0.20
-0.25

4th elastic mode shape

-0.30
-0.35

5th elastic mode shape

6th elastic mode shape
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

Axial coo0rdinates, x (m)

_
Trans. unit-ampli. mode displa.,Yu,r(x)

(a)

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0

_
Trans. unit-ampli. mode displa.,Yu,r(x)

Figure 6: The Lowest Eight Normal Mode Shapes for Rigid-body Motions ( ) together with
Elastic Vibrations () of the F-F Bare Beam (Figure 4) Obtained from MMSM

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

Axial coordinates, x(m)

(b)

The lowest 5 unit-amplitude mode shapes

of F-F loaded beam carrying 5 sets of CEs
at x= 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0m
1st mode shape from MMSM
2nd mode shape from MMSM
3rd mode shape from MMSM
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

(c)

_
Trans. unit-ampli. mode displa.,Yu,r(x)

Axial coordinates, x(m)

4th mode shape from MMSM

5th mode shape from MMSM

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0

1st mode shape from FEM

2nd mode shape from FEM
3rd mode shape from FEM
4th mode shape from FEM
5th mode shape from FEM
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

(d)

_
Trans. unit-ampli. mode displa.,Yu,r(x)

Axial coordinates, x(m)

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

Axial coordinates, x(m)

Figure 7: The Lowest Five Unite Amplitude Mode Shapes for the Loaded Beam shown in Figure 4: (a)
Attached by Lumped Masses only (Case 1 of Table 2(b)); (b) Attached by Lumped Masses with
Eccentricities and Rotary Inertias (Case 2 of Table 2(b));(c) Attached by Translational Springs
Only (Case 3 of Table 2(b)); (d) Attached by Various CEs (Case 4 of Table 2(b)). Mode Shapes Obtained
From MMSM are Denoted by Solid Lines () and those from FEM by Dashed Lines ( )

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the foregoing analyses, the following conclusions are drawn:

For a free-free (F-F) bare beam, its normal mode shapes for rigid-body motions and those for elastic
vibrations satisfy the orthonormality conditions, so that the modified mode-superposition method (MMSM) is

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18

Chia-Chin Wu

available for determining the lowest several natural frequencies and mode shapes of the associated F-F loaded
beam carrying multiple various CEs such as lumped masses (with eccentricities and rotary inertias) and
translational springs.

The conventional mode-superposition method (CMSM) for the positive-definite systems is not suitable for the
semi-definite systems, because the zero natural frequencies and corresponding normal mode shapes for the rigidbody (heave and pitch) motions of the (unconstrained) bare beam are not taken into considerations. In other
words, for an F-F beam carrying various CEs, the MMSM presented in this paper can obtain its natural
frequencies and mode shapes for both the (quasi) rigid-body motions and the elastic vibrations, but this is not
true for the CMSM.

The natural frequencies for the (quasi) rigid-body motions of a F-F loaded beam may be grater than or equal to
zero dependent on whether or not the attached CEs have contributions to its translational and/or rotational
stiffness.

The natural frequencies for the classical heave and pitch motions of a rigid beam ( hiv and pih ) obtained
from the theory for a SDOF spring-mass system (in Appendix) are greater than those for the quasi rigid-body
motions of the elastic beam ( R1 and R 2 ) obtained from the MMSM, because the coupling effect between
rigid-body motions and elastic vibrations of the loaded beam can reduce the latter natural frequencies ( R1
and R 2 ).

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Laura, P.A.A., Pombo, J.L, Susemihl, E.L. (1974). A note on the vibration of a clamped-free beam with a mass at the free end,
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Rutenberg, A. (1978). Vibration frequencies for a uniform cantilever with a rotational constraint at a point, ASME Journal of
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Lau, J.H. (1984). Vibration frequencies and mode shapes for a constrained cantilever. ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics 51,
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Gurgoze, M. (1984). A note on the vibration of restrained beams and rods with point masses, Journal of sound and Vibration
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Liu, W.H., Huang, C.C. (1988). Vibrations of a constrained beam carrying a heavy tip mass. Journal of sound and Vibration
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Su, H., Banerjee, j.R. (2005). Exact natural frequencies of structures consisting of two part beam-mass systems, Structural
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Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

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Engineering Research & Science, 1(7), 60-86.
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Chia-Chin Wu

APPENDICES
Heave and Pitch Frequencies of A F-F Rigid Beam Obtained from Theory for a SDOF Spring-Mass System

A F-F Rigid Beam Supported by Translational Springs

For Case 3 of Table 2(b) with the uniform F-F beam attached by five identical translational springs, the rigid-body

translation in y-direction and rotation about z-axis are shown in Figures A.1(a) and (b), respectively. Since the loaded
beam is like a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) spring-mass (S-M) system, the natural frequencies are determined by
hiv k hiv mhiv (for heave motion), pih k pih J pih (for pitch motion)

(A.1a,b)

Where k hiv and mhiv are the effective stiffness and mass of the loaded beam for heave motion, while k pih and
J pih are the effective stiffness and mass moment of inertia of the loaded beam for pitch motion. The last parameters may

be determined as follows.
The effective mass of the loaded beam for heave motion is equal to the total mass of the bare beam itself, thus
mhiv mb AL

(A.2a)

While the effective mass moment of inertia of the loaded beam for pitch motion is equal to that of the bare beam
about the center of gravity of the beam, C, thus [30],
y

(a)

Fy

v1

v2

k1

k2

x2

x3

x
k3

x4

v5

v4

v3

k4

k5

x5 L

(b)

v1

Mz

v2

rc1

rc 2

v4

rc 4

x5 L 4
( rc 3 0)

rc 5

v5
k5

k4

k3

k2

k1

C v3

Figure A.1: Rigid-body Motions for a Uniform F-F Beam Carrying Five Identical Translational
Spring seach with Stiffness k i EI L3 (Case 3 of Table 2(b)): (a) Translational Heave
Motion in y-Direction; (b) Rotational Pitch Motion about z-axis
J pih J b mb ( L2 12 )

(A.2b)

For the determination of k hiv , a vertical force F y is applied at the center of gravity C as shown in Figure A.1(a). If
the vertical displacement of the beam at the attaching point of the ith spring is denoted by vi , then static equilibrium of the
loaded beam requires that
Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Influence of Rigid-Body Motions on Free Vibration Characteristics of a

Free-Free Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements

Fy

5
i 1

21

(A.3)

k i vi

For heave motion of the rigid beam, one has

v1 v 2 vi v (a constant)

(A.4)

From Eqs. (A.3) and (A.4) one obtains the effective stiffness for heave motion to be

k hiv Fy v

5
i 1

ki

(A.5)

In addition, for the determination of k pih , a moment M z is applied at the center of gravity C as shown in Figure
A.1(b). If the rotation angle of the beam about z-axis is denoted by , then static equilibrium of the loaded beam requires
that
Mz

5
i 1

(A.6)

f i ric

Where r ci denotes the distance between the center of gravity, C, and the attaching point of the ith concentrated
element ki , besides, f i is the restoring force of the ith spring given by

f i k i (rci )

(A.7)

From Eqs. (A.6) and (A.7) one obtains the effective stiffness for pitch motion to be
k pih M z

5
i 1

k i rci2

(A.8)

For Case 3 of Table 2(b), from Figure A.1(b) one sees that
L 4 , rc1 rc 5 2 , rc 2 rc 4 , rc 3 0

(A.9)

Where is the identical spacing between any two adjacent attaching points of the five springs.
From the numerical example for Table 2(b), one has:
mhiv mref AL 30.8269 kg, J pih J b AL ( L2 12) 10.2756 kg.m 2

k hiv

i 1

ki 5k ref 39653.4015 N/m, k pih

i 1

k i rci2 19826.70075 Nm/rad

(A.10a,b)
(A.10c,d)

Therefore, from Eqs. (A.1a,b), one obtains

hiv k hiv m hiv 35.8654 rad/sec, pih k pih J pih 43.9260 rad/sec

(A.11a,b)

A F-F Rigid Beam Carrying Translational Springs and Lumped Masses

The mathematical model for a F-F rigid beam carrying a translational spring with stiffness ki and a lumped

mass mi (for Case 4 of Table 2(b)) at each attaching point is shown in Figures A.2(a) for heave motion and A.2(b) for pitch
motion, respectively. Since the lumped masses mi ( i 1 5 ) do not affect the effective stiffness of the loaded beam, the

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22

Chia-Chin Wu

values of k hiv and k pih are the same as those given by Eqs. (A.5) and (A.8), i.e.,
k hiv

5
i 1

k i , k pih

5
i 1

k i rci2

(A.12a,b)

However, for the present case as shown in Figures A.2(a,b), the effective mass for heave motion and the effective
mass moment of inertia for pitch motion are given by

mhiv mb

5
i 1

mi , J pih J b

5
i 1

(mi rci2 J i mi ei2 )

(A.13a,b)

From the numerical example for Case 4 of Table 2(b), one has:
k hiv 39653.4015 N/m, k pih 19826 .70075 Nm/rad

(A.14a,b)

m hiv 61.6538 kg, J pih 25.6891kg m 2 (A.14c,d)

The substitutions of Eqs. (A.14a-d) into Eqs. (A.1a,b) produce

hiv k hiv m hiv 25 .3606 rad/sec, pih k pih J pih 27.77812 rad/sec(A.15a,b)
y

Fy

m2 , e2 , J 2

m1 , e1 , J 1

(a)

k1

m3 , e3 , J 3

k2

x2

vi v

x3

x4

v1

v2

m1 , e1 , J 1

m2 , e2 , J 2

k1

Mz

rc1

k2

rc 2

m4 , e4 , J 4

m5 , e5 , J 5

x
k3

k4

k5

x5 L

(b)

m4 , e4 , J 4

C v3

m3 , e3 , J 3

x5 L 4
(rc 3 0)

rc 5

v5
k5

k4

k3

rc 4

v4

m5 , e5 , J 5

Figure A.2: Rigid-Body Motions for a Uniform F-F Beam Carrying Five Identical Translational
Springs and Lumped Masses each with k i EI L3 and mi AL 5 (Case 4 of Table 2(b)):
(a) Translation (Heave) in y-Direction; (b) Rotation (Pitch) about z-axis

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.8936

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1