Free vibration analysis of planar curved beams by wave propagation

In this paper, a systematic approach for the free vibration analysis of a planar circular curved beam system is presented. The system considered includes multiple point discontinuities such as elastic supports, attached masses, and curvature changes. Neglecting transverse shear and rotary inertia, harmonic wave solutions are found for both extensional and inextensional curved beam models. Dispersion equations are obtained and cut-off frequencies are determined. Wave reflection and transmission matrices are formulated, accounting for general support conditions. These matrices are combined, with the aid of field transfer matrices, to provide a concise and efficient method for the free vibration problem of multi-span planar circular curved beams with general boundary conditions and supports. The solutions are exact since the effects of attenuating wave components are included in the formulation. Several examples are presented and compared with other methods.