Vibration And Stability Analysis Of Timoshenko Beams With Discontinuities In Cross-Section

The aim of the study described here is to investigate the natural frequencies and the critical buckling load coefficients for multi-span beam systems consisting of elastically supported uniform Timoshenko beams which may be loaded with end as well as intermediate masses. The results for previous systems of two and three spans are recovered by using the model presented here. A beneficial effect of the relative span and the relative thickness parameters on the natural frequency can be achieved by making the second span a stepped one. The results for the natural frequencies and the critical buckling load coefficients for the chosen application examples probably have not appeared previously in the literature. Three groups of stepped beams, each of the same critical buckling load coefficients, are found: clamped free-free, sliding-free-pinned, sliding-free-free; free-free-free, pinned-free-free; clamped-free-sliding, sliding-free-sliding.