Vibration of Timoshenko beam on hysteretically damped elastic foundation subjected to moving load

The vibration of beams on foundations under moving loads has many applications in several fields, such as pavements in highways or rails in railways. However, most of the current studies only consider the energy dissipation mechanism of the foundation through viscous behavior; this assumption is unrealistic for soils. The shear rigidity and radius of gyration of the beam are also usually excluded. Therefore, this study investigates the vibration of an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on a hysteretically damped elastic foundation under a moving load with constant or harmonic amplitude. The governing differential equations of motion are formulated on the basis of the Hamilton principle and Timoshenko beam theory, and are then transformed into two algebraic equations through a double Fourier transform with respect to moving space and time. Beam deflection is obtained by inverse fast Fourier transform. The solution is verified through comparison with the closed-form solution of an Euler-Bernoulli beam on a Winkler foundation. Numerical examples are used to investigate: (a) the effect of the spatial distribution of the load, and (b) the effects of the beam properties on the deflected shape, maximum displacement, critical frequency, and critical velocity. These findings can serve as references for the performance and safety assessment of railway and highway structures.