An Improved Series Expansion of the Solution to the Moving Oscillator Problem

Abstract

The problem of calculating the dynamic response of a one-dimensional distributed parameter system excited by an oscillator traversing the system with an arbitrarily varying speed is investigated. An improved series representation for the solution is derived that takes into account the jump in the shear force at the point of the attachment of the oscillator, which makes it possible to efficiently calculate the distributed shear force and, where applicable, bending moment. The improvement is achieved through the introduction of the “quasi-static” solution, which is an approximation to the desired solution, and is also based on the explicit representation of the solution of the moving oscillator problem as the sum of the solution of the corresponding moving force problem and that of the problem of vibration of the distributed system subject to the elastic coupling force. Numerical results illustrating the efficiency of the method are presented. [S0739-3717(00)01001-1]