• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제68권6호
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• pp.713-720
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• 2018

In this paper a new numerical method to determine the elastic curve of the simply supported beams of variable cross-section is demonstrated. In general case it needs to solve linear or small nonlinear second order differential equations with prescribed boundary conditions. For numerical solution the initial values of the slope and the deflection of the end cross-section of the beam is necessary. For obtaining the initial values a lively procedure is developed: it is a special application of the shooting method because boundary value problems can be transformed into initial value problems. As a result of these transformations the initial values of the differential equations are obtained with high accuracy. Procedure is applied for calculating of elastic curve of a simply supported beam of variable cross-section. Results of these numerical procedures, analytical solution of the linearized version and finite element method are compared. It is proved that the suggested procedure yields technically accurate results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제11권6호
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• pp.489-504
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• 2011

This paper presents a theoretical investigation in free vibration of sigmoid functionally graded beams with variable cross-section by using Bernoulli-Euler beam theory. The mechanical properties are assumed to vary continuously through the thickness of the beam, and obey a two power law of the volume fraction of the constituents. Governing equation is reduced to an ordinary differential equation in spatial coordinate for a family of cross-section geometries with exponentially varying width. Analytical solutions of the vibration of the S-FGM beam are obtained for three different types of boundary conditions associated with simply supported, clamped and free ends. Results show that, all other parameters remaining the same, the natural frequencies of S-FGM beams are always proportional to those of homogeneous isotropic beams. Therefore, one can predict the behaviour of S-FGM beams knowing that of similar homogeneous beams.