FLEXURAL-TORSIONAL COUPLED VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF A THINWALLED CLOSED SECTION COMPOSITE TIMOSHENKO BEAM BY USING THE

DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFORM METHOD

Metin O. Kaya and zge zdemir
Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 34469, Maslak,
Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract. In this study, a new mathematical technique called the Differential Transform Method
(DTM) is introduced to analyse the free undamped vibration of an axially loaded, thin-walled closed
section composite Timoshenko beam including the material coupling between the bending and
torsional modes of deformation, which is usually present in laminated composite beams due to ply
orientation. The partial differential equations of motion are derived applying the Hamiltons principle
and solved using DTM. Natural frequencies are calculated, related graphics and the mode shapes are
plotted. The effects of the bending-torsion coupling and the axial force are investigated and the results
are compared with the studies in literature.

1. Introduction
A composite thin-walled beam with
length L , cross sectional dimension B
and wall thickness d is shown in Fig.1.
The geometric dimensions are assumed
to be d B so the terms related to the
warping stiffness and the warping inertia
are small enough to be neglected.
The bending motion in the z
direction, the torsional rotation about the
x axis and the rotation of the cross
section due to bending alone are
represented by w( x, t ) , ( x, t ) and
( x, t ) , respectively. A constant axial
Figure 1. Configuration of an axially
loaded composite Timoshenko beam

force P acts through the centroid of the

cross section which coincides with the x
axis. P is positive when it is compressive
as in Fig.1.

2. Formulation
The governing undamped partial differential equations of motion are derived for the
free vibration analysis of the beam model represented by Fig.1. After the application of the
Hamiltons principle, the following equations of motion are obtained as follows
I EI kAG w K 0

(1)

Pw kAG w 0
w

(2)

I s P I s K GJ 0

(3)

Here, A is the mass per unit length; I s is the polar mass moment of inertia; K and
kGA are flexuretorsion coupling rigidity and shear rigidity of the beam, respectively.

The boundary conditions at x 0 and x L for Eqs. (1)-(3) are as follows

EI k 0

(4)

Pw kAG w w 0

(5)

PI s K GJ 0

(6)

A sinusoidal variation of w( x, t ) , ( x, t ) and ( x, t ) with a circular natural frequency

is assumed and the functions are approximated as
w x, t W x e it ,

x, t x e it ,

x, t x e it

(7)

The following nondimensional parameters can be used to simplify the equations of motion

x
W
, W
,
L
L

r2

* d ,
d

I
,
AL2

1 *

(8)

Substituting Eqs.(7) and (8) into Eqs.(4)-(5), the dimensionless equations of motion are
obtained as follows
A1

A2 A3W * A4

**

B1W ** B2W B3
C1

**

C 2 C 3

**

(9)

(10)

**

(11)

where the dimensionless coefficients are

A1 1 ,

A2

L4 r 2 2 kAGL2

EI
EI

A3

kAGL2
EI

A4

K
EI

B1 1

P
kAG

(12)
B2

L2 2

kAG

B3 1

C1 1

PI s
GJ

C2

I s L2 2

GJ

C3

K
GJ

3. The Differential Transform Method

The differential transform method is a transformation technique based on the Taylor series
expansion and is used to obtain analytical solutions of the differential equations. In this
method, certain transformation rules are applied and the governing differential equations and
the boundary conditions of the system are transformed into a set of algebraic equations in
terms of the differential transforms of the original functions and the solution of these
algebraic equations gives the desired solution of the problem.
A function f x , which is analytic in a domain D, can be represented by a power series
with a center at x 0 , any point in D. The differential transform of the function is given by
Fk

1 d k f ( x)

k! dx k

(13)
x x0

where f x is the original function and F k is the transformed function. The inverse
transformation is defined as

f ( x ) ( x x0 ) k F k

(14)

k 0

Combining Eqs. (13) and (14) and expressing f x by a finite series, we get
( x x0 ) k
f ( x)
k!
k 0
m

d k f ( x)

k
dx

(15)
x x0

Here, the value of m depends on the convergence of the natural frequencies [1]. Theorems
that are frequently used in the transformation procedure are introduced in Table 1 and
theorems that are used for boundary conditions are introduced in Table 2 [2].
Table 1. Basic theorems of DTM
Original
Function

DTM

f x g x h x F k G k H k
f x g x

F k G k

f x g x h x

F k G k l H l

l 0

f x

d g x
dx n
n

f x x n

Fk

k n ! G k n
k!

0 if k n
Fk k n
1 if k n

Table 2. DTM theorems for boundary conditions

x0
Boundary Condition
Transformed B.C.
df
( 0) 0
dx
df
( 0) 0
dx
2

d f
(0) 0
dx 2
d3 f
(0) 0
dx 3

F (0 ) 0

x 1
Boundary Condition
f (1) 0

Transformed B.C.

F (k ) 0
k 0

F (1) 0
F ( 2) 0
F (3) 0

4. Formulation with DTM

df
(1) 0
dx
2

d f
(1) 0
dx 2
d3 f
(1) 0
dx 3

kF (k ) 0
k 0

k (k 1) F (k ) 0
k 0

(k 1)(k 2)kF (k ) 0
k 0

In the solution step, the differential transform method is applied to Eqs.(9)-(11). Here we
quit using the bar symbol on , W , and instead, we use , W , .
A1 k 2 k 1 k 2 A2 k A3 k 1W k 1 A4 k 2 k 1 k 2 0

(16)

B1 k 2 k 1W k 2 B2W k B3 k 1 k 1 0

(17)

C1 k 2 k 1 k 2 C 2 k C 3 k 2 k 1 k 2 0

(18)

Applying DTM to Eqs. (4)(6), the boundary conditions are given as follows
at 0

0 W 0 0 0

at 1

k 1 k 1 A4 k 1 k 1 0
B1 k 1 w k 1 k 0
C1 k 1 k 1 C 3 k 1 k 1 0

(19)
(20)
(21)
(22)

5. Results and Discussion

In order to validate the computed results, an illustrative example, taken from Ref [3], is
solved and the results are compared with the ones in the same reference. Additionally, the
mode shapes of the beam are plotted.
Variation of the first five natural frequencies (coupled and uncoupled) of the above
example with respect to the axial force is introduced in Table 3 and compared with the results
of Ref. [3] and [4]. Here, it is noticed that the natural frequencies decrease as the axial force
varies from tension P 7.5 to compression P 7.5 . Additionally,it is seen that the
coupled natural frequencies are lower than the uncoupled ones. However, the fourth natural
frequency becomes less when the bending-torsion coupling is ignored.
Table3. Natural frequencies with respect to the axial force
Natural Frequencies

r 2 0.00002322
P0

P 7.5

P 7.5

Present

Ref. [4]

Present

Ref.[3]

Present

Present

Ref.[3]

Present

Ref.[4]

Present

Ref.[3]

40.975

40.97

37.106

37.1

35.283

30.747

30.75

28.064

28.06

21.987

21.99

224.259

224.25

197.672

197.7

217.341

189.779

189.8

210.162

210.16

181.495

181.5

598.668

598.66

525.665

525.6

592.626

518.791

518.8

586.519

586.51

511.818

511.9

647.595

647.59

648.495

648.6

647.411

648.269

648.3

647.228

647.22

648.047

648

1125.71

1125.71

992.878

1119.85

986.199

1113.950

1113.95

979.473

Natural frequencies with coupling

The effects of the axial force P and the Timoshenko effect, r , on the first four natural
frequencies are introduced in Figs. 2(a-d). When Fig. 2 is examined, it is noticed that the natural
frequencies decrease with the increasing rotary inertia parameter, r , because Timoshenko effect
decreases the natural frequencies and this effect is more dominant on higher modes as expected.
Additionally, since the fourth mode is torsion, the Timoshenko effect makes a slight change in
the fourth natural frequency value.

2 0 0 .0 0

2nd Natural Frequency (Hz)

1st Natural Frequency (Hz)

4 0 .0 0

3 6 .0 0

3 2 .0 0

2 8 .0 0

2 4 .0 0

2 0 .0 0

1 9 2 .0 0

1 8 8 .0 0

1 8 4 .0 0

1 8 0 .0 0
-8 .0 0

-4 .0 0

0 .0 0

Force (N)

4 .0 0

8 .0 0

-8 .0 0

- 4 .0 0

-8 .0 0

-4 .0 0

6 4 8 .5 0

4th Natural Frequency (Hz)

5 2 8 .0 0

3rd Natural Frequency (Hz)

1 9 6 .0 0

5 2 4 .0 0

5 2 0 .0 0

5 1 6 .0 0

5 1 2 .0 0

5 0 8 .0 0

0 .0 0
Force
(N)

4 .0 0

8 .0 0

6 4 8 .4 0

6 4 8 .3 0

6 4 8 .2 0

6 4 8 .1 0

6 4 8 .0 0
-8 .0 0

-4 .0 0

0 .0 0

Force (N)

4 .0 0

8 .0 0

0 .0 0

Force (N)

Figure 2. Effect of the Timoshenko effect on the first four natural frequencies (
, Euler)

4 .0 0

8 .0 0

, Timoshenko ;

Mode shapes of the considered beam under the effect of the compressive axial force (

P 7.5 ) are introduced with bending-torsion coupling in Figs. 5(a-d). When these figures are

Second Mode Shapes

First Mode Shapes

considered, it can be noticed that the first three normal modes are bending modes while the
fourth normal mode is the fundamental torsion mode.

0.75

0.5
0.25

0.75
0.5

0.25
0

0.25

0
0.25

0.5

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.5

0.75

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.75
0.5

Fourth Mode Shapes

Third Mode Shapes

0.25
0
0.25

0.5
0.75

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.75

0.5

0.25

w
0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Figure 5. The first four normal mode shapes of the composite beam with bending-torsion coupling
(

,;

,;

,)

References
S.H. Ho and C.K. Chen, Analysis of General Elastically End Restrained Non-Uniform Beams
Using Differential Transform, Applied Mathematical Modeling 22 (1998) 219-234
zdemir , Kaya MO, Flapwise Bending Vibration Analysis of a Rotating Tapered
Cantilevered Bernoulli-Euler Beam by Differential Transform Method, Journal of Sound and
Vibration (In Press).
J.R. Banerjee, Free vibration of axially loaded composite Timoshenko beams using the
dynamic stiffness matrix method, Computers and Structures 69 (1998) 197-208
J. Li, R. Shen, H. Hua and X. Jin, Bending-torsional coupled vibration of axially loaded
composite Timoshenko thin-walled beam with closed cross-section, Composite Structures, 64
(2004) 23-35