Nonplanar Dynamics of Fixed-Free Beams With Low Torsional Stiffness

The three-dimensional motions of a clamped-free, inextensible beam subject to lateral harmonic excitation are investigated in this paper. Special attention is given to the nonlinear oscillations of beams with low torsional stiffness and its influence on the bifurcations and instabilities of the structure, a problem not tackled in the previous literature on this subject. For this, the nonlinear integro-differential equations describing the flexural-flexural-torsional couplings of the beam are used, together with the Galerkin method, to obtain a set of discretized equations of motion, which are in turn solved by numerical integration using the Runge-Kutta method. Both inertial and geometric nonlinearities are considered in the present analysis. By varying the beam stiffness parameters, and using several tools of nonlinear dynamics, a complex dynamic behavior of the beam is observed near the region where a 1:1:1 internal resonance occurs. In this region several bifurcations leading to multiple coexisting solutions, including planar and nonplanar motions are obtained. Finally, the paper shows how the tools of nonlinear dynamics can help in the understanding of the global integrity of the model, thus leading to a safe design.