Non-linear vibrations and stability of an axially moving beam with time-dependent velocity

Non-linear vibrations of an axially moving beam are investigated. The non-linearity is introduced by including stretching effect of the beam. The beam is moving with a time-dependent velocity, namely a harmonically varying velocity about a constant mean velocity. Approximate solutions are sought using the method of multiple scales. Depending on the variation of velocity, three distinct cases arise: (i) frequency away from zero or two times the natural frequency, (ii) frequency close to zero, (iii) frequency close to two times the natural frequency. Amplitude-dependent non-linear frequencies are derived. For frequencies close to two times the natural frequency, stability and bifurcations of steady-state solutions are analyzed. For frequencies close to zero, it is shown that the amplitudes are bounded in time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.