Dynamic behavior of a multispan continuous beam traversed by a moving oscillator

Abstract

In this article, dynamic behavior of a multispan continuous beam influenced by a moving oscillator is studied. It is assumed that each span of the continuous beam obeys uniform Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. By exploiting a series of beam natural mode shapes, the governing differential equation of beam vibration is transformed into the time domain for which a time integration method is applied. The dynamic amplification factor (DAF) of the base beam is extensively analyzed for different moving oscillator’s weight, stiffness and velocity. At the asymptotic states, the presented results indicate a close agreement with previously published benchmark solutions for moving force and moving mass models. In addition, it is shown that the structural response can be considerably altered by the variation of the moving oscillator stiffness within a notable range of influential parameters.