Free vibrational analysis of axially loaded bending-torsion coupled beams: a dynamic finite element

In this article, a dynamic finite element formulation for the free vibration analysis of axially loaded bending-torsion coupled beams is presented. Based on the Euler–Bernoulli and St. Venant beam theories, the exact solutions of the differential equations governing the uncoupled vibrations of an axially loaded uniform beam are found. Then, employing these solutions as basis functions, the analytical expressions for uncoupled bending and torsional dynamic shape functions are derived. Exploiting the principle of virtual work, together with the variable approximations based on the resulting shape functions, leads to a single frequency dependent element matrix which has both mass and stiffness properties. The application of the theory is demonstrated by an illustrative example of a bending-torsion coupled beam with cantilever end conditions, for which the influence of axial force on the natural frequencies is studied. The correctness of the theory is confirmed by the published results and numerical checks.