Dynamics analysis of distributed parameter system subjected to a moving oscillator with random mass, velocity and acceleration

The problem of calculating the response of a distributed parameter system excited by a moving oscillator with random mass, velocity and acceleration is investigated. The system response is a stochastic process although its characteristics are assumed to be deterministic. In this paper, the distributed parameter system is assumed as a beam with Bernoulli-Euler type analytical behaviour. By adopting the Galerkin's method, a set of approximate governing equations of motion possessing time-dependent uncertain coefficients and forcing function is obtained. The statistical characteristics of the deflection of the beam are computed by using an improved perturbation approach with respect to mean value. The method, useful to gathering the stochastic structural effects due to the oscillator-beam interaction, is simple and leads to results very close to Monte Carlo simulation for a wide interval of variation of the uncertainties. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.