Dynamic stability characteristics of axially accelerated beams

Abstract

Dynamic stability of axially accelerated beams is investigated in this paper. The equations of motion of a fixed-free beam undergoing axially accelerated motion are derived. Unstable regions due to the acceleration are obtained by using the Floquet's theory. Stability diagrams are presented to illustrate the influence of the acceleration characteristics. Large unstable regions of flutter type instability exist around the first, twice the first, and twice the second bending natural frequencies. Divergence type instability also occurs when the acceleration exceeds a certain value. The validity of the stability diagram is confirmed by direct numerical integration of the equations of motion.