Effects of dead loads on dynamic analyses of beams

The effect of dead loads on dynamic responses of uniform elastic beams is examined by means of a governing equation which takes into account initial bending stress due to dead loads. First, the governing equation of beams which includes the effect of dead loads is briefly presented from the author's paper (Takabatake 1990). In the formulation the effect of dead loads is considered by strain energy produced by conservative initial stresses produced by the dead loads. Second, the effect of dead loads on dynamical responses produced by live loads in simply supported beams and clamped beams is confirmed by the results of numerical computations with the Galerkin method and Wilson-${\theta}$ method. It is shown that the dynamical responses, like dynamic deflections and bending moments produced by dynamic live loads, are decreased in a heavyweight beam when the effect of dead loads is included. Third, an approximate solution for dynamic deflections including the effect of dead loads is presented in closed-form. The proposed solution shows good in agreement with results of numerical computations with the Galerkin method and Wilson-${\theta}$ method. Finally, a method reflecting the effect of dead loads for dynamic responses of beams on the magnitude of live loads is presented by an example.