A dynamic analysis of a coupled beam/slider system

The paper deals with transverse vibration of a beam with moving boundary conditions. In order to examine the transfer of energy between a moving support and a vibrating beam under assumption of zero slope of the beam elastic line at the moving support, dynamic analysis of a coupled beam/slider system is carried out. The moving support is modelled as a slider attached to a spring which realizes definite boundary conditions. Equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's principle. Because length of the beam varies appropriate transformations of time and position variables are made to convert the solution space into a rectangle and, subsequently, to solve the partial differential equation of transverse vibration of the beam using the FDM. The phenomenon of the energy flow between the slider and the beam is a subject of the detailed analysis. The beam vibration with a fixed formula of length is examined, too. The dynamic characteristics of the system is brought forward from spectral analysis of numerical solutions. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.