Journal of Sound and Vibration (1996) 195(3), 507511

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A VARIATIONAL APPROACH TO THE VIBRATION OF TAPERED BEAMS
WITH ELASTICALLY RESTRAINED ENDS
R. O. Grossi :Nb B. bri V. ArrN:s
PROMAS., Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Buenos Aires 177.
4400-Salta, Argentina
(Received 22 May 1995, and in nal form 13 November 1995)
1. iN1robic1ioN
The determination of natural frequencies in transverse vibrations of tapered beams with
elastically restrained ends is a problem that has been extensively studied by several
investigators. To review the literature is not attempted here and only a few references will
be mentioned. Mabie and Rogers [14] studied several cases of tapered beams with
dierent end conditions. Laura and co-workers [58] treated various cases of non-uniform
beams with dierent conditions of end restraints. Grossi and Bhat [910] analyzed the case
of linearly tapered beams with ends elastically restrained against rotation. The problem
of determination of frequencies for beams with both ends elastically restrained against
rotation and translation has been studied by Kameswara Rao and Mirza [11], but for the
case of uniform beams. The present work is concerned with the use of the
Rayleigh-Schmidt method in the determination of frequencies corresponding to the rst
two modes of free vibration of a linearly tapered beam with both ends elastically restrained
against rotation and translation. It is shown that adopting, for the assumed mode shapes,
functions with several adjustable exponents leads to straightforward and simple algorithm
which, in the case of the fundamental frequency coecient, yields very accurate results.
An interesting feature of the present variational approach is that it increases the accuracy
of numerical results through a renement of the shape functions by optimizing the
adjustable exponents rather than by increasing the terms of approximation. In this
paper, several examples are solved and the results obtained are compared with
previously published results to demonstrate the accuracy and exibility of the algorithm
developed. New results are also determined for tapered beams with generally restrained
ends.
2. :N:i.sis isiNc r:.iricn-scnxib1 xr1nob
Consider a tapered beam of length l whose ends are elastically restrained against rotation
and translation. The width b(x) and depth h(x) vary linearly between x =0 and x =l,
where the point x =0 corresponds to the left end of the beam. Let b(0) =b
1
, b(l) =b
2
,
h(0) =h
1
and h(l) =h
2
, then the variations of the b(x) and h(x) are given by
h(x) =h
1
(1 +c
1
x/l), c
1
=h
2
/h
1
1; 0 Qx El; (1a)
b(x) =b
1
(1 +c
2
x/l), c
2
=b
2
/b
1
1 (1b)
507
0022460X/96/330507 +05 $18.00/0 7 1996 Academic Press Limited
ir11rrs 1o 1nr rbi1or 508
The cross-sectional area and the moment of inertia are given by
A(x) =b(x)h(x) =A
1
(1 +c
1
x/l)(1 +c
2
x/l), A
1
=b
1
h
1
; (2a)
I(x) =b(x)h
3
(x)/12 =I
1
(1 +c
1
x/l)
3
(1 +c
2
x/l), I
1
=b
1
h
3
1
/12; (2b)
A
2
=A
1
(1 +c
1
)(1 +c
2
), I
2
=I
1
(1 +c
1
)
3
(1 +c
2
). (2c)
The parameters b
1
, h
1
, A
1
and I
1
refer to the properties of the cross-section at the left, while
b
2
, h
2
, A
2
and I
2
refer to these properties at the right of the beam. In the case of normal
modes of vibrations, the maximum strain energy of the beam is given by
U
b,max
=
1
2
g
l
0
EI(x)u0
2
(x) dx, (3)
where u(x) is the transverse deection function. The maximum strain energy associated
with the rotational restraints can be stated as
U
r,max
=
1
2
r
1
u'
2
(0) +
1
2
r
2
u'
2
(l). (4)
The maximum strain energy associated with the translational restraints can be written as
U
t,max
=
1
2
t
1
u
2
(0) +
1
2
t
2
u
2
(l). (5)
The total maximum strain energy of the system is given by
U
max
=U
b,max
+U
r,max
+U
t,max
. (6)
Finally, the maximum kinetic energy of the beam is given by
T
max
=
1
2
rv
2
g
l
0
A(x)u
2
(x) dx, (7)
where r is the mass density and v is the circular natural frequency. In the case of normal
modes of vibration the boundary conditions are [12]
r
1
u'(x) =EI(x)u0(x), x =0; r
2
u'(x) =EI(x)u0(x), x =l; (8a, b)
t
1
u(x) =(EI(x)u0(x))', x =0; t
2
u(x) =(EI(x)u0(x))', x =l; (8c, d)
It is convenient to change variables from x to x =x/l in equations (1)(8) in order to work
in the interval [0, 1]. Let us consider the following function for the assumed mode shapes:
u(x) =A
1
u
1
(x) +A
2
u
2
(x), (9a)
where
u
1
(x) = s
4
i =0
a
i
x
ni
, a
4
=1, n
0
=0, n
1
=1, n
2
=2; (9b)
u
2
(x) = s
5
i =0
b
i
x
mi
, b
5
=1, m
0
=0, m
1
=1, m
2
=2. (9c)
The coecients a
i
and b
i
in equations (9b, c) are determined from the boundary conditions
(8). The function u
2
(x) is subject to the additional requirement of having a nodal point
at x =05. The exponents n
3
, n
4
, m
3
, m
4
and m
5
are the optimization parameters introduced
in accordance with the Rayleigh-Schmidt method [910]. Substituting the deection
ir11rrs 1o 1nr rbi1or 509
function, dened in equation (9) into equations (6) and (7) and minimizing the Rayleigh
quotient with respect to the coecients A
1
and A
2
yields a frequency equation which can
be written as
l
4
(I
k1
I
k2
I
2
k3
) +l
2
(2U
3
I
k3
U
1
I
k2
U
2
I
k1
) +(U
1
U
2
U
2
3
) =0, (10)
where
l
2
=
rA
1
EI
1
v
2
l
4
(11)
is the non-dimensional frequency coecient. From equation (10) one obtains two values
of l
2
: l
2
1
and l
2
2
. The non-dimensional frequency coecient l
2
, dened in equation (11) is
a function of the adjustable exponents n
i
and m
j
introduced in equation (9). The
Rayleigh-Schmidt method requires minimization of l
2
with respect to the exponential
parameters. Trial variations of n
i
and m
j
in the neighborhoods of the values i and j are
sucient to determine approximate minima.
3. Nixrric:i rrsii1s
Values of coecients zl
1
and zl
2
of a uniform beam with ends elastically restrained
against rotation and translation are shown in Table 1. The values obtained with the present
method are compared with the exact values reported by Rao and Mirza [11]. The
agreement of values of zl
1
obtained with the Rayleigh-Schmidt method is excellent. This
method yields values which agree with the exact values within six signicant gures (and
in various cases seven). The values of zl
2
are not so accurate in all cases. The mentioned
table also depicts values of zl
1
and zl
2
obtained with the Rayleigh-Ritz method with
polynomials expressions used as the assumed mode shape functions. In this case the
corresponding exponents are all xed. It must be noted that the values of zl
1
obtained
with this method are also very accurate. Table 2 contains values of the coecient zl
1
obtained with xed and adjustable exponents for a linearly tapered beam with dierent
T:nir 1
Frequency coecients zl
1
and zl
2
of a uniform beam with ends elastically restrained
against rotation and translation. (R
1
=R
2
=R, T
1
=T
2
=T). (I) Values obtained with
Rayleigh-Ritz method. (II) Values obtrained with Rayleigh-Schmidt method. (III) Values
from reference [11]
zl1 zl2
ZXXXXXXXCXXXXXXXV ZXXXXXXXCXXXXXXXV
R I II III I II II
T=010
001 0668463 0668463 0668464 0956995 0956995 0956995
010 0668473 0668473 0668473 1309212 1309212 1309211
1 0668539 0668539 0668539 2110992 2110992 2110991
10 0668655 0668655 0668655 2892034 2892006 2891977
100 0668689 0668689 0668689 3114410 3114365 3114298
T=10
001 2032730 2032658 2032659 2768869 2768868 2768866
010 2035451 2035385 2035385 2788462 2788462 2788458
1 2054061 2054026 2054026 2933289 2933280 2933271
10 2088264 2088257 2088258 3270997 3270939 3270873
100 2098732 2098730 2098730 3403191 3403086 3403000
ir11rrs 1o 1nr rbi1or 510
T:nir 2
Values of zl
1
of a tapered beam with dierent end conditions (b
2
=b
1
). (I) Values obtained
with Rayleigh-Ritz method. (II) Values obtained with Rayleigh-Schmidt method
h2/h1
End condition 02 025 033333 05 1
R1 =T1 =a (I) 2096 2062 2018 1959 1875
R2 =T2 =0 (II) 2080 2047 2009 1955 1875
R1 =T1 =a (I) 3257 3293 3361 3513 3929
R2 =0, T2 =a (II) 3138 3222 3326 3507 3926
R1 =0, T1 =a (I) 2296 2363 2470 2671 3142
R2 =0, T2 =a (II) 2237 2321 2452 2668 3141
R1 =T1 =a (I) 3647 3700 3805 4048 4738
R2 =T2 =a (II) 3518 3604 3752 4041 4730
classical end conditions. Finally, values of zl
1
obtained with xed and
adjustable exponents, for a linearly tapered beam with ends elastically restrained against
rotation and translation, are included in Table 3.
4. coNciisioNs
A simple, computationally ecient and accurate approximate method has been used to
determine numerical values of frequency coecients of a linearly tapered beam with ends
elastically restrained against rotation and translation. Excellent agreement was obtained
between the present values of zl
1
and the comparison results. Table 1 shows that in the
case of uniform beams, the use of xed exponents, that is the use of Rayleigh-Ritz method
with polynomials expressions as the assumed mode functions, also yields very accurate
results. Since both Rayleigh-Ritz and Rayleigh-Schmidt methods yield upper bounds for
T:nir 3
Values of zl
1
of a tapered beam with ends elastically restrained against rotation and
translation (R
2
=0, T
1
=
a
, h
2
/h
1
=025, b
2
/b
1
=05 and b
2
/b
1
=1). (I) Values obtained with
Rayleigh-Ritz method. (II) Values obtained with Rayleigh-Schmidt method
zl1
ZXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
b2/b1 =1 b2/b1 =05 b2/b1 =1 b2/b1 =05
ZXXXCXXXV ZXXXCXXXV ZXXXCXXXV ZXXXCXXXV
R1 I II I II I II I II
T2 =000 T2 =010
00 032193 032172 030080 030049
01 090219 090200 100180 100150 090603 090574 100401 100361
10 195338 194044 215046 213050 195429 194110 215123 213095
100 205048 203481 225019 222614 205136 203544 225095 222659
a 206219 204655 226179 223784 206306 204718 226254 223828
T2 =10 T2 =a
00 106415 101514 102179 095216 236301 232154 234082 227992
01 119009 115137 121458 116844 239812 235653 238694 232640
10 204639 200323 223125 217527 310163 303750 321538 312459
100 213995 209525 232944 227026 327145 319917 339476 329240
a 215052 210664 233995 228179 329341 322144 341670 331473
ir11rrs 1o 1nr rbi1or 511
the natural frequencies, it seems reasonable to expect that the values obtained with the
latter method are more accurate. Nevertheless, the observation that the use of xed
exponents leads to very accurate results, in the case of uniform beams with ends elastically
restrained against rotation and translation, is important since this procedure implies less
computational work. The new results for tapered beams with generally restrained ends
presented in Table 3 may conclude that both rotational and translational restraints have
a signicant eect on the rst two frequencies and the translational restraints have greater
inuence on these frequencies than the rotational restraint. It can be concluded that the
variational approach used constitutes a simple and unied analytical procedure which has
great exibility and accuracy from a practical viewpoint when applied to the vibration
problems considered.
:ciNovirbcrxrN1s
This research has been partially supported by Consejo de Investigacio n de la
Universidad Nacional de Salta. The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable
criticism.
rrrrrrNcrs
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