This paper deals with the free vibration analysis of a beam subjected to an axial tensile load with an attached in-span mass-spring-mass system. The equations of motion are derived by means of the Hamilton principle and an explicit expression of the frequency equation is presented. The formulation is validated with results in the literature and the finite element method. Parametric studies are done to investigate the effect of the axial load, the magnitude and location of the mass-spring-mass system on the lowest five natural frequencies and mode shapes. The results indicate that the fundamental mode is independent of the tension and the in-span mass. However, a significant change in all modes is observed when the position of the mass-spring-mass is varied.

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