Stability and local bifurcation in a simply-supported beam carrying a moving mass

The stability and local bifurcation of a simply-supported flexible beam (Bernoulli-Euler type) carrying a moving mass and subjected to harmonic axial excitation are investigated. In the theoretical analysis, the partial differential equation of motion with the fifth-order nonlinear term is solved using the method of multiple scales (a perturbation technique). The stability and local bifurcation of the beam are analyzed for 1/2 sub harmonic resonance. The results show that some of the parameters, especially the velocity of moving mass and external excitation, affect the local bifurcation significantly. Therefore, these parameters play important roles in the system stability.