Stochastic response of fractionally damped beams

This paper aims at introducing the governing equation of motion of a continuous fractionally damped system under generic input loads, no matter the order of the fractional derivative. Moreover, particularizing the excitation as a random noise, the evaluation of the power spectral density performed in frequency domain highlights relevant features of such a system. Numerical results have been carried out considering a cantilever beam under stochastic loads. The influence of the fractional derivative order on the power spectral density response has been investigated, underscoring the damping effect in reducing the power spectral density amplitude for higher values of the fractional derivative order. Finally, the fractional derivative term introduces in the system dynamics both effective damping and effective stiffness frequency dependent terms. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.