Galerkin method for steady-state response of nonlinear forced vibration of axially moving beams at supercritical speeds

The present paper investigates the steady-state periodic response of an axially moving viscoelastic beam in the supercritical speed range. The straight equilibrium configuration bifurcates in multiple equilibrium positions in the supercritical regime. It is assumed that the excitation of the forced vibration is spatially uniform and temporally harmonic. Under the quasi-static stretch assumption, a nonlinear integro-partial-differential equation governs the transverse motion of the axially moving beam. The equation is cast in the standard form of continuous gyroscopic systems via introducing a coordinate transform for non-trivial equilibrium configuration. For a beam constituted by the Kelvin model, the primary resonance is analyzed via the Galerkin method under the simply supported boundary conditions. Based on the Galerkin truncation, the finite difference schemes are developed to verify the results via the method of multiple scales. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the steady-state periodic responses exist in the transverse vibration and a resonance with a softening-type behavior occurs if the external load frequency approaches the linear natural frequency in the supercritical regime. The effects of the viscoelastic damping, external excitation amplitude, and nonlinearity on the steady-state response amplitude for the first mode are illustrated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.