Random vibration of multi-span Timoshenko beam due to a moving load

The method of modal analysis is presented to investigate the random vibration of a multi-span Timoshenko beam due to a load moving at a constant velocity. The load is considered to be a stationary process with a constant mean value and a variance. The effects of both velocity and statistical characteristics of the load and the span number of the beam on both the mean value and the variance of the deflection and the moment of the structure are investigated. Moreover, the results obtained from a multi-span Timoshenko beam are compared with those from a multi-span Bernoulli-Euler beam. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.