Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica, Vol. 26, No.

5, October, 2013 ISSN 0894-9166

Published by AMSS Press, Wuhan, China

VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF A BEAM WITH

EMBEDDED SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY WIRES

Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari Morteza Dardel Alireza Fathi

(Department of Mechanical Engineering, Babol University of Technology, Babol, Iran)

Received 11 August 2011, revision received 15 May 2012

ABSTRACT In this study, analytical relations for evaluating the exact solution of natural fre-
quency and mode shape of beams with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are presented.
Beams are modeled according to Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and third order beam (Reddy) the-
ories. A relation is obtained for determining the effect of axial load generated by the recovery action
of pre-strained SMA wires. By defining some dimensionless quantities, the effect of different me-
chanical properties on the frequencies and mode shapes of the system are carefully examined. The
effect of axial load generated by SMA wires with buckling load and frequency jump is accurately
studied.

KEY WORDS shape memory alloy, natural frequency, mode analysis, frequency jump, Euler-
Bernoulli, Timoshenko, third order beam, buckling

I. INTRODUCTION
So many structures could be modeled as a one-dimensional beam. By adding surface-bonded or
embedded induced strain actuators to a beam, it is possible to achieve active control in order to
increase stability, reduce noise and vibrations. In the last decade, smart materials have extensively been
developed and have become an important topic for researchers in different areas. Strain actuators are
generally made of smart materials. Some of these smart materials that are more common are piezoelectric
(PE), electrostrictive (ES), magnetostrictive (MS) and shape memory alloy (SMA). SMA is a good
candidate for control of smart composite structures[1–3] . At a low temperature, it is possible to make
relatively large deformation such as bending and compressing, but by heating, deformed SMA wires
will return to their original shape. Generally, pre-strained SMA actuators are embedded in structures.
When an electric current passes through SMA wires, the electric resistance of wires generate heat.
Therefore, because of the return of actuators to their original shape, a large internal force is generated
and transmitted to the structure. The force generated and the change in the module of elasticity and
density of SMA wires modify equal stiffness of the structure and increase the failure limit of the system.
Consequently, SMA actuators can be used to control the displacement and buckling of composite beams.
Sohn et al.[1] have experimentally investigated the vibration and position control of a flexible beam
using SMA wire actuators and compared the results with theoretical results. Kang et al.[2] have evaluated
the impact response of glass/epoxy laminates with embedded SMA subject to low velocity impact at
various temperatures. Brinson et al.[3] have examined the active control of beam deflection through
heating and cooling of shape memory alloy wires. Jun et al.[4] have introduced the dynamic stiffness
method to investigate the free vibration of laminated composite beams based on a third-order shear
 Corresponding author. E-mail: dardel@nit.ac.ir
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 537 ·

deformation theory. Raghavan et al.[5] have evaluated the potential of superelastic shape memory alloy
fibers to enhance the damping capacity and toughness of a thermoset polymer matrix. Ni et al.[6] have
investigated the stiffness and vibration characteristics of SMA composites with shape memory alloy
short fibers. They found that the vibration characteristics of SMA composites can be improved by adding
small amounts of SMA short fibers. Du et al.[7] have studied the deflection of an epoxy beam with
embedded SMA. They derived a recursive formula to account for the time dependence of the mechanical
behavior for epoxy beam matrix. Li and Hua[8] have investigated the free vibration characteristics of
shear deformable elastic beams subjected to different sets of boundary conditions. Vo and Lee[9] have
presented the free vibration of thin-walled composite Timoshenko beams with arbitrary layups under a
constant axial force. Su and Cartmell[10] have derived the components of the recovery force generated
during the SMA activation with respect to a three-dimensional frame. Lee and Kim[11] have selected the
spring type SMA actuators to fabricate an inchworm-like moving mechanism that consists of damping
or moving modules.
There are different theories for vibration analysis of beams. Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and third
order beam (Reddy) are common theories that are used to obtain frequencies and mode shapes. In
the Euler-Bernoulli theory, the effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation are neglected, but in
Timoshenko and third-order beam theories both of these effects are considered. Thus, Euler-Bernoulli
theory is just suitable for thin beams, but Timoshenko and third-order beam theories can be used for
moderately thick and thick beams. Timoshenko theory uses the first-order expansion of displacement
components through the thickness of the beam, but in third-order beam theory, the third-order expansion
is used.
In the current study, analytical relations are presented for evaluating frequencies and modes shape
of a composite beam with different numbers of embedded SMA wires, for both below martensite finish
temperature and above austenite finish temperature. With applying Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and
third-order beam theories, calculations are presented for different boundary conditions and different
thicknesses of beam. The effect of the different number of SMA wires at different temperature on natural
frequencies and mode shapes of the beam in according to different beam theories are investigated.
Since, SMA wires have a capability of creating large deflection and large deformation, it’s better to use
Timoshenko and Reddy theories instead of Euler-Bernoulli theory for evaluating natural frequencies.
The effect of axial load with buckling load and frequency jump are carefully studied.

II. THEORETICAL MODEL

A composite beam with embedded pre-strained shape memory alloy wires that are aligned along
the beam’s longitudinal axis is considered. A schematic diagram of the beam and SMA wires is shown
in Fig.1. As shown, the SMA wires are standing on the neutral axis. The equation of motion of the
beam with SMA embedded wires can be obtained as follows:

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the SMA composite beam.

 · 538 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

2.1. Modeling the Effect of SMA Wires

The one-dimensional constitutive relation of an SMA wire during the martensite transformation can
be described as[12]
σ − σ0 = D (ξ) (ε − ε0 ) + Θ (T − T0 ) + Ω (ξ) (ξ − ξ0 ) (1)
where D, Θ and Ω denote the tensile modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion and phase transformation
tensor of SMA materials, respectively; σ, ε, T , ξ indicate the stress, strain, temperature and martensite
fraction of SMA wires, respectively. Also, subscript 0 represents the initial condition of the SMA wires.
T0 is the reference temperature, considered to be 25 ◦ C.
Owing to a strain recovery action of the pre-strained SMA wires, a force is imposed along the beam’s
longitudinal direction. The magnitude of force of SMA wires can be defined as
F = σR ASMA (2)
where σR demonstrates the stress of wires due to the shape recovery of the embedded pre-strained
SMAs. Also, ASMA shows the cross-sectional areas of the embedded SMA wires.
By dividing the generated force to the area of beam, the stress of beam can be evaluated as follows:
σR ASMA
σbeam = (3)
Ac
Also, there is no external load in two other directions (directions of thickness and width of the beam).
In addition, the beam has a thermal strain with respect to the variation of temperature. Therefore,
according to the axial stress and variation of the temperature of the beam (thermal strain), the stress-
strain relationship of the beam in the beam’s longitudinal direction can be rewritten as
σR ASMA
ε − ε0 = + αc (T − T0 ) (4)
Ec Ac
αc and Ec denote the coefficient of thermal expansion and module of elasticity of the composite
materials, respectively. Ac indicates the cross-sectional areas of the composite beam without SMA wires.
It is noted that the strain of the beam and SMA wires are equal (Supposing that SMA wires are attached
to the beam).
So, by substituting Eq.(4) into Eq.(1), we have
 
σR ASMA
σR = D (ξ) + αc (T − T0 ) + Θ (T − T0 ) + Ω (ξ) (ξ − ξ0 ) (5)
Ec Ac
The stress of wires can be determined as follows:
[αc D (ξ) + Θ] (T − T0 ) + Ω (ξ) (ξ − ξ0 )
σR = (6)
D (ξ) ASMA
1−
Ec Ac
And the axial force can be calculated by
[αc D (ξ) + Θ] (T − T0 ) + Ω (ξ) (ξ − ξ0 )
F = ASMA (7)
D (ξ) ASMA
1−
Ec Ac
Apparently, the boundary condition doesn’t have any effect on the formula of the axial force, and
the main SMA formula can be used for all the boundary conditions.
The relationship between the martensite fraction ξ and applied temperature T during heating for
the martensitic transformation is given by [12]
ξM
ξ= {cos cos [aA (T − TAs )] + 1} (8)
2
where ξM is considered to be 1 which is the highest martensite fraction during cooling. Also, aA can
be determined from[13]
π
aA = (9)
T Af − T As
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 539 ·

TAf and TAs are the initial and final temperature of austenite transformation, respectively. D can be
evaluated by using the mixture law

D (ξ) = ξDM + (1 − ξ) DA (10)

DM and DA are the module of elasticity of the two phases. The transformation coefficient Ω(ξ) can be
determined as[14]
Ω (ξ) = −εL D (ξ) (11)
where −εL is the strain recoverable limit, considered to be 4.5%.
The work due to the axial load of the SMA wire, F , on the beam can be calculated from the strain
due to the elongation of the element of the beam. This work will be expressed as follows[15]:

2
1 L ∂w
WSMA = F dx (12)
2 0 ∂x
2.2. Euler-Bernoulli Theory
In the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the rotation of cross-sections of the beam is considered negligible
compared to the translation. In addition, the angular distortion due to shear is neglected compared to
the bending deformation. This implies that plane sections normal to the mid-surface before deformation
remain normal to the mid-surface even after deformation or bending. Thus, the Euler-Bernoulli beam
theory is only applicable to beams for which the length is much larger than the thickness. According
to the Euler-Bernoulli theory, the displacement components of any point of a beam conforming with
the Euler-Bernoulli theory are given by[15]
∂w(x, t)
u = −z , v = 0, w = w (x, t) (13)
∂x
With these displacement components and calculation of the work done by the axial force in accordance
with Eqs.(12) and (13), the equation of motion will be as follows[15] :

d4 w(x, t) d2 w(x, t) d2 w(x, t)

EI − F + ρA =0 (14)
dx4 dx2 dt2
The dimensionless form of Eq.(14) will be as follows:

d4 w(x, τ ) d2 w(x, τ ) d2 w(x, τ )

4 − αF 2 +β =0 (15)
dx dx dτ 2
where: -
x = x/L, w (x, τ ) = w (x, t) /L, τ = t/T, T = L ρ/E, α = L2 /(EI), β = AL2 /I
where L, E, I, ρ and A denote length of the beam, module of elasticity, cross-sectional moment of
inertia, density and cross-sectional area of beam, respectively. The equivalent module of elasticity and
density of the beam can be evaluated by using a mixture rule:
(D (ξ) − Ec ) ISMA (ρSMA − ρc ) ASMA
E = Ec + , ρ = ρc + (16)
Itot Atot
where ISMA denotes the cross-sectional moment of inertia of embedded SMA wires. Also, Itot and Atot
express the total cross-sectional moment of inertia and cross-sectional area of beam with embedded
SMA wires, respectively. Subscript c indicates the properties of composite materials.
By taking into consideration the harmonic solution of Eq.(15), the mode shapes are obtained as
follows:
d4 W (x) d2 W (x)
4 − αF − βω 2n W (x) = 0 (17)
dx dx2
where ω n is dimensionless natural frequency of composite beam. From solution of this equation, the
mode shape will be as follows:

W (x) = C1 cosh (λ1 x) + C2 sinh (λ1 x) + C3 cos (λ2 x) + C4 sin (λ2 x) (18)
 · 540 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

where λ1 and λ2 are roots of the characteristic equation of Eq.(17), and are given by
'- '-
α2 F 2 + 4βω2n + αF α2 F 2 + 4βω2n − αF
λ1 = , λ2 = (19)
2 2
For clamped-clamped (C-C) and simply-supported (S-S) beams, F is compressive and the sign of
the F in Eq.(17) should be negative. For beams with different boundary conditions, the characteristic
equations to determine the eigenvalues of λi , are as follows:
C-C beam
With boundary conditions of: .
dW (x) ..
W (x) = =0 (20)
dx .x=0,1
The eigenvalues of λi can be calculated as follows:
 
2λ1 λ2 (1 − cosh λ1 cos λ2 ) + λ21 − λ22 sinh λ1 sin λ2 = 0 (21)
S-S beam
Boundary conditions are: .
d2 W (x) ..
W (x) = =0 (22)
dx2 .x=0,1
With these boundary equation, the eigenvalues of λi can be calculated as
sin (λ2 ) = 0 (23)
C-F beam
For this case, the beam will be in tension and the sign of F in Eq.(17) is positive. For C-F beam,
the boundary conditions are:
. .
dW (x) .. d2 W (x) EI d3 W (x) dW (x) ..
W (x) = = 0 and = 2 −F =0 (24)
dx .x=0 dx2 L dx3 dx .x=1
Hence, the eigenvalues of λi in this case can be obtained as
 
EI 3 λ21 cosh λ1 + λ22 cos λ2  3 
λ1 sinh λ1 − λ2 sin λ2 − 2
3 2
λ cosh λ1 + λ1 λ2 cos λ2
L2 λ1 sinh λ1 + λ1 λ2 sin λ2 1

λ2 cosh λ1 + λ22 cos λ2
−F λ1 sinh λ1 sinh λ1 + λ2 sin λ1 sin λ2 − 21
λ1 sinh λ1 + λ1 λ2 sin λ2
·(λ1 sinh λ1 sinh λ1 − λ1 cos λ1 cos λ2 )] = 0 (25)
2.3. Timoshenko Theory
In the Timoshenko beam theory, the effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation of the beam
are considered unlike in the Euler-Bernoulli theory. Therefore, this theory can be used for moderately
thick and thick beams. In this theory a constant shear deformation is assumed in each cross section.
Accordingly, the shear stress is uniform at every point in the cross section of the beam. But since this
is not true in reality, a constant k, known as the shear correction factor, is used in the expression for
shear stress. In consideration of the shear deformation, lower stiffness, and larger deflection of the beam
will be predicted by this theory. For this theory, the displacement components of a point in the beam
can be expressed as[15]
u = −zφ (x, t) , v = 0, w = w (x, t) (26)
By taking into account the axial force due to the effect of the shape memory alloy, the equations of
motion are given by[15]
d2 w(x, t) dφ(x, t) d2 w(x, t)
(−kAG + F ) 2
+ kAG + ρA =0
dx dx dt2 (27)
d2 φ(x, t) dw (x, t) d2 φ(x, t)
−EI 2
+ kAGφ (x, t) − kAG + ρI =0
dx dx dt2
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 541 ·

The dimensionless form of Eqs.(27) will be as follows:

d2 W (x) dΦ(x)
(β − 1) + − ω 2n W (x) = 0
dx2 dx (28)
1 d2 Φ(x) dW (x)
− + αΦ (x) − α − ω 2n Φ (x) = 0
γ dx2 dx
where the dimensionless quantities
- and different parameters of Eqs.(28) are as follows:
τ = t/T, φ = φ, T = L ρ/(kG), α = AL2 /I, β = F/(kAG), γ = kG/E
G is shear modulus of elasticity and k is the shear correction factor, that is assumed to be 5/6.
The general solution of Eqs.(28) will be
W (x) = C1 cosh (λ1 x) + C2 sinh (λ1 x) + C3 cos (λ2 x) + C4 sin (λ2 x)
(29)
Φ(x) = D1 cosh (λ1 x) + D2 sinh (λ1 x) + D3 cos (λ2 x) + D4 sin (λ2 x)
where:
'√ '√
a2 − 4b − a a2 − 4b + a αβγ + ω 2n (1 − βγ + γ)
ω 2n (ω 2n − α)γ
λ1 = , λ2 = , a= , b=
2 2 1−β 1−β
(30)
Also, by substituting Eqs.(29) into Eqs.(28), the coefficients of Φ(x) can be determined via the
coefficients of W (x) as follows:
D1 = RC2 , D2 = RC1 , D3 = XC4 , D4 = −XC3 (31)
where:
ω 2n + (1 − β)λ21 −ω2n + (1 − β)λ22
R= , X= (32)
λ1 λ2
For the beams with different boundary conditions, the characteristic equation will be as follows:
C-C beam
The boundary conditions are: .
W (x) = Φ (x).x=0,1 = 0 (33)
And the characteristic equation is:


sin λ2 sinh λ1
(cosh (λ1 ) − cos (λ2 ))2 + − (X sin λ2 + R sinh λ1 ) = 0 (34)
X R
S-S beam
The boundary conditions are: .
dΦ (x) ..
W (x) = =0 (35)
dx .x=0,1
and the eigenvalues of λ2 are calculated by
sin λ2 = 0 (36)
C-F beam
In this case, the boundary conditions and characteristic equation are:

 .
. dΦ (x) dW (x) dW (x) ..
W (x) = Φ (x).x=0 = 0, = kAG − Φ (x) + F =. =0 (37)
dx dx dx x=0,1

And the characteristic equation is

kAG [X (λ1 − R) (sinh λ1 + Z1 cosh λ1 ) + (λ2 − X) (X sin λ2 − RZ1 cos λ2 )]

+F [Xλ1 (sinh λ1 + Z1 cosh λ1 ) + λ2 (X sin λ2 − RZ1 cos λ2 )] = 0 (38)

λ1 cosh λ1 + (X/R)λ2 cos λ2
where Z1 = − , and R and X are given in Eqs.(32).
λ1 sinh λ1 + λ2 sin λ2
 · 542 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

2.4. The Third Order Beam Theory

In the third-order beam theory the quadratic variation of shear deformation is assumed in the
thickness direction. According to this theory, the transverse shear strain and hence shear stress on the
top and bottom planes of a beam have vanished. Thus, there is no need to use the shear correction
factor. The flexibility predicted by this theory is greater than two previously mentioned theories; hence,
better accuracy of vibration characteristics will be obtained.
For the third-order beam theory, the displacement components of any point of the beam are[16]


4 dw (x, t)
u = zφ (x, t) − 2 z 3 φ (x, t) + , v = 0, w = w (x, t) (39)
3h dx

Then, the equations of motion for the beam subjected to the axial force will be[16]

d4 w (x, t) d3 φ (x, t) d2 w (x, t) dφ (x, t)

−EI2 4
− EI3 3
+ (GI4 + F ) + GI4
dx dx dx2 dx
d2 w (x, t) d4 w (x, t) d3 φ (x, t)
−ρA + ρI2 + ρI3 =0
dt2 dx2 dt2 dxdt2 (40)
3 2
d w (x, t) d φ (x, t) dw (x, t)
EI3 + EI1 − GI4 − GI4 φ (x, t)
dx3 dx2 dx
2 3
d φ (x, t) d w (x, t)
−ρI1 − ρI3 =0
dt2 dxdt2
The dimensionless form of Eqs.(40) will be as follows:

 2
d4 W (x) d3 Φ(x) F d W (x)   dΦ(x)
−βI2 4 − βI3 3 + 1 + − αI2 ω n 2
2 + 1 − αI3 ω 2n + ω2n W (x) = 0
dx dx γ dx dx
d3 W (x) d2 Φ (x)   dW (x)  
βγI3 3 + βγI1 2 + αγI3 ω 2n − γ + αγI1 ω 2n − γ Φ(x) = 0
dx dx dx
(41)
The dimensionless quantities and different parameters of Eqs.(41) are given by
-
T = L ρA/(GI4 ), α = 1/(L2 A), β = E/(GI4 L2 ), γ = GI4
Different area moments of inertia of Eq.(41) are given by
       
I1 = (z 2 + δ 2 z 6 − 2δz 4 )dA, I2 = δ 2 z 6 dA, I3 = (δ 2 z 6 − δz 4 )dA, I4 = (1 − 3δz 2 )2 dA
(42)
The general solution of Eq.(41) is:

W (x) = C1 cosh (λ1 x) + C2 sinh (λ1 x) + C3 cos (λ2 x) + C4 sin (λ2 x) + C5 exp (λ3 x) + C6 exp (−λ3 x)
Φ (x) = D1 cosh (λ1 x) + D2 sinh (λ1 x) + D3 cos (λ2 x) + D4 sin (λ2 x) + D5 exp (λ3 x) + D6 exp (−λ3 x)
(43)
λ1 , λ2 and λ3 can be determined by obtaining the characteristic equation of Eqs.(41) and is given by
   2 2   
6 2αω2n Δ F I1 4 α ωn αω 2n Δ I1 ω 2n (αF + βγ) − F 2 ω 2n αI1 ω 2n − 1
λ + + + λ + + 2 + λ + =0
β βΓ βγΓ β2 β Γ β 2 γΓ β2Γ
(44)
where Δ = I1 + I2 − 2I3 , Γ = I32 − I1 I2 .
The value of λ3 is much greater than λ1 and λ2 . So their coefficients i.e. C5 and D5 are too small,
approximately zero.
For Reddy’s beam theory, the characteristic equations to determine the eigenvalues of λi for beams
with all boundary conditions are too long. Hence, only their boundary conditions are mentioned.
C-C beam .
dW (x) ..
W (x) = Φ (x) = =0 (45)
dx . x=0,1
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 543 ·

S-S beam
.
dΦ (x) d2 W (x) dΦ (x) d2 W (x) ..
W (x) = I1 + I = I3 + I =0 (46)
dx2 .x=0,1
3 2
dx dx2 dx
C-F beam
.
dW (x) ..
W (x) = Φ (x) = =0
dx .x=0 .
dΦ (x) d2 W (x) dΦ (x) d2 W (x) dW (x) .. (47)
I1 + I3 = I3 + I2 = (GI4 + F )
dx dx2 dx dx2 dx .. =0
EI2 d3 W (x) EI3 d2 Φ (x) .
+GI4 Φ (x) − 2 − .
.
L dx3 L2 dx2 x=1
The dimensionless natural frequency ωn has a relation with the natural frequencies of ωn :
ωn
ωn = (48)
2πT
where ωn is in Hertz.

2.5. Investigation of the Effect of Different Parameters in Natural Frequency

The axial load, density and module of elasticity each have an effect on the beam’s natural frequency.
To find the proportion of each parameter in natural frequency, it is necessary to obtain some dimension-
less parameters. These parameters can be obtained for different beam theories, but for brevity these
calculations are presented for the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The same trend is applicable to beams
in different theories.
Consider the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory with the effect of axial force due to the SMA wires
(Eq.(14)), and introduce the dimensionless quantities as follows:
x w (x, t)
x = , w (x, τ ) = , and τ = ωn1 t (49)
L L
where ωn1 is the beam’s first natural frequency without the effect of the axial force, which has the
following general form[15] : '
Ec I
ωn1 = (β1 L)2 (50)
ρc AL4
The values of β1 L for different boundary conditions are given in Ref.[15]. By substituting these
dimensionless quantities into Eq.(14) and simplifying, we have:
d2 w(x, τ ) E ρc 1 d4 w(x, τ ) ρc F L2 1 d2 w(x, τ )
+ − =0 (51)
dτ 2 Ec ρ (β1 L)4 dx4 ρ Ec I (β1 L)4 dx2
By obtaining the natural frequency and mode shapes in accordance with discussions given in the
preceding section, Eq.(51) can be written in modal coordinate. For this purpose, aided by the modal
analysis, the solution of Eq.(51) is assumed to be a linear combination of the normal modes of the beam
as follows: ∞

w (x, τ ) = W i (x) η i (τ ) (52)
i=1
where W i (x, τ ) is the ith dimensionless natural mode and η i (τ ) is generalized coordinates. Thus, by
substituting Eq.(52) into Eq.(51) and use of the orthogonality of the mode shapes, we have:

d2 η i (τ ) 1 2
W i (x) dx + [K1 + K2 ]η i (τ ) = 0 (53)
dτ 2 0
where
 1
2 2  1
2
E ρc 1 d W i (x) ρc F L 2 1 dW i (x)
K1 = dx, K 2 = dx (54)
Ec ρ (β1 L)4 0 dx2 ρ Ec I (β1 L)4 0 dx
With this work, the portion of each parameter on the response of the beam on each mode shape
will be cleared. This analysis shows which term is dominant in each mode shape. This will help with a
better description of the results obtained . In the next section, the ratio of K2 to K1 will be evaluated
for different numbers of SMA wires to clearly understand the role of each parameter.
 · 544 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

In the present study, the length and width of the beam are assumed to be 200 mm and 32 mm,
respectively. Natural frequencies are evaluated for two thicknesses of beam, 1.4 mm and 10 mm. For
thickness of 1.4 mm, the diameter of SMA wires is 0.5 mm, and it is 3.5714 mm for the other thickness.
The wires are pre-strained to 4.5%. NiTiCu SMA is used in the present study. Table 1 lists the mechanical
properties of SMA wires and composite beam. Two applied temperatures, T , are used to calculate
natural frequencies. One of them is below the martensite temperature, considered to be 20.3 ◦C, and the
other one is above the austenite temperature which is considered to be 64 ◦ C. The natural frequencies
are also evaluated for different numbers of SMA wires, and different boundary conditions.

Table 1. Mechanical properties of SMA wires and composite beam

Description
NiTiCu
Tensile modulus (GPa) Martensitic phase, DM 25
Austenitic phase, DA 50
Thermal coefficient Θ (MPa/◦ C) 0.55
Density ρSMA (kg/m3 ) 6450
Transformation temperatures ( ◦ C) Austenitic finish, TAf 55
Austenitic start, TAs 48
composite
Tensile modulus Ec (GPa) 12
Coefficient of thermal expansion αc (m/m/◦ C) 0.34 × 10−6
Density ρc (kg/m3 ) 1800

The natural frequencies of C-C beam with a thickness of 1.4 mm and different numbers of SMA wires
at T = 20.3 ◦ C , in conformity with different beam theories, are shown in Fig.2. At this temperature,
the wires are in martensitic phase. From this figure, it is clear that the first three natural frequencies
of the C-C beam for a thickness of 1.4 mm decrease slightly with increasing number of SMA wires.
In this condition, the module of elasticity and the density of the entire system are increased, but the
effect of density is greater than that of the module of elasticity. Also, as shown in Fig.3, the ratio of
K2 /K1 is low at this temperature, while the axial load doesn’t have any effect on the natural frequency.
Therefore, natural frequencies decrease with an increase in the number of wires. Since the ratio of the
beam’s thickness to its length is too small, all theories are the same and their results differences are
negligible.

Fig. 2. Natural frequencies of CC beam with thickness of Fig. 3. Ratio of K2 /K1 for CC beam with thickness of 1.4
1.4 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 20.3 ◦ C. mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 20.3 ◦ C.
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 545 ·

Fig. 4. Natural frequencies of CC beam with thickness of Fig. 5. Natural frequencies of CC beam with thickness of
10 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 20.3 ◦ C. 1.4 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C.

The natural frequencies of the C-C beam with a thickness of 10 mm and different numbers of SMA
wires at T = 20.3 ◦C, in conformity with different beam theories are shown in Fig.4. As shown in Fig.4,
the natural frequencies of the C-C beam for a thickness of 10 mm have the same trend as previously
mentioned, but the slope decrement is greater than the thickness of 1.4 mm. In addition, because of
the thickness-to-length ratio, there are some differences between the results of different theories. As
expected, because of the ignoring of shear deformation in the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the beam
stiffness is assumed to be high. Hence, their natural frequency prediction is greater than other theories.
For other boundary conditions, the change in behavior of the frequency is similar to that of the C-C
beam, but the magnitudes of the natural frequency differ from those mentioned earlier.
The natural frequencies of the C-C beam with a thickness of 1.4 mm and different numbers of
SMA wires at T = 64 ◦ C are shown in Fig.5. This temperature is above the austenite temperature,
at which the module of elasticity of SMA wire increases with temperature. In this figure, the natural
frequencies of the C-C beam decrease steeply with an increase of the number of SMA wires, when
the wires temperature is above austenite finish temperature. Since the axial load is compressive in
this condition, and its magnitude is noticeable, buckling should be considered. When the axial load
becomes greater than the buckling load, frequency jump will take place. For instance, as shown in Fig.5,
when the number of wires is three, the beam directly goes to its second mode shape, while if the axial
load becomes greater, it goes to its upper mode shapes. According to the Euler-Bernoulli theory, the
relationship between the ith natural frequency and buckling load for the C-C beam is given by[15]
' '
EI 4π 2 F
ωni = βi βi2 − 2 (55)
ρA L Fcri

where:
π 2 EI
Fcri = (56)
(0.5L)2
And the values of βi for C-C and S-S beams are given in Ref.[15]
For a comparison of the proportion of different parameters in these results, the ratio of K2 to K1 is
plotted in Fig.6 for different numbers of SMA wires of the C-C beam with a thickness of 1.4 mm. At
the beginning of the diagram, the value of K2 is lower than K1 , but with an increase in the number
of wires, the value of K2 becomes greater than K1 . Thus, the effect of the axial load on the natural
frequency becomes more important than the density and module of elasticity. Also, the slope variation
decreases for upper mode shapes as shown in Fig.6. Since the axial load is compressive in this condition,
two stiffness terms have different signs, and for K2 > K1 , the coefficient of η i (τ ) in Eq.(53) would be
negative and frequency jump due to buckling, occurs. Therefore, the beam goes to its minimum mode
in which K2 /K1 becomes lower than 1.
 · 546 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

Fig. 6. Ratio of K2 /K1 for CC beam with thickness of 1.4 Fig. 7. Natural frequencies of SS beam with thickness of
mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C. 1.4 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C.

Fig. 8. Ratio of K2 /K1 for SS beam with thickness of 1.4 Fig. 9. Natural frequencies of CF beam with thickness of
mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C. 1.4 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C.

Natural frequencies and ratio of K2 /K1 of the S-S beam with a thickness of 1.4 mm are shown at
different numbers of SMA wires in Figs.7 and 8, respectively. The change of natural frequencies in the
S-S beam has the same trend as the C-C beam, but buckling and frequency jump occur with lower
SMA wires in this condition because of less buckling load. Figure 8 confirms this statement because it
shows that the S-S beam’s slope is greater than that of the C-C beam. For instance, for one SMA wire,
the value of K2 /K1 is larger than 1 for the 1st mode of the S-S beam, but this value is lower than 1
for the C-C beam. So, frequency jump only occurs in the S-S beam for this condition. The relationship
between the ith natural frequency and buckling load for the S-S beam is given by[15]
' '
EI π2 F
ωni = βi βi2 − 2 (57)
ρA L Fcri

π 2 EI
Fcri = (58)
L2
Figures 9 and 10 represent the natural frequencies and ratio of K2 /K1 of the C-F beam with a
thickness of 1.4 mm, at different numbers of SMA wires, respectively. The axial load is tensile for the
C-F beam, and it increases the stiffness of the total system. Thus, it makes natural frequency ωn increase
with an increase in the number of SMA wires as shown in Fig.9. In this condition, the slope undergoes
greater changes than previously mentioned. The effect of the axial load of SMA wires with respect
to the structural stiffness of the vibrating system is illustrated in Fig.10. As shown, by increasing the
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 547 ·

Fig. 10. Ratio of K2 /K1 for CF beam with thickness of 1.4 Fig. 11. Natural frequencies of CC beam with thickness of
mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C. 10 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C.

number of SMA wires, the effect of the axial load and ratio of K2 /K1 increase significantly. In this
boundary condition, the axial load augments the stiffness of the system.
As shown, in all boundary conditions, the axial load has an extra effect on the total stiffness of the
system, especially when the number of wires increases. Also, the maximum effect of the axial load is
on the first mode of the beam. The differences in slopes between boundary conditions are caused by
the dimensionless mode shapes, W i (x) , and the value of β1 L in Eq.(54). The axial load has maximum
effect on a C-F beam, and minimum effect on a C-C beam.
As shown in Fig.11, the trend of the natural frequency of the beam with a thickness of 10 mm is
similar to a beam with a thickness of 1.4 mm, but for this thickness, the buckling load becomes large,
and buckling doesn’t happen. Also, the differences between the results of the Euler-Bernoulli theory
and two other theories are not negligible for this thickness. The Reddy theory involves the effect of the
shear deformation which is third-order. Therefore, the frequencies of the beam evaluated based on the
Reddy theory are less than the results of the Timoshenko theory.
Table 2 lists the natural frequencies of the C-C beam with a thickness of 10 mm for Euler-Bernoulli,
Timoshenko and Reddy theories, and their percentages of error with respect to Reddy’s theory. As
illustrated, the differences between beam theories increase for larger mode shapes. Also, as expected,
the percentages of error of Euler-Bernoulli theory are greater than the Timoshenko theory. Since the
boundary condition of the beam is considered to be clamped-clamped, the generated load of SMA wires
is compressive and natural frequencies decreases with an increase in the number of SMA wires.

Table 2. Natural frequencies and percentages of error of CC beam with thickness of 10 mm for T = 64 ◦ C

Number Natural frequency (Hz) % error

of wires Euler-Bernoulli Timoshenko Reddy Euler-Bernoulli Timoshenko
0 663.519 652.308 651.405 1.86 0.14
1st mode 1 609.724 598.783 597.969 1.96 0.14
3 487.404 476.411 475.797 2.44 0.13
5 266.105 249.733 249.452 6.68 0.11
0 1829.017 1759.958 1756.165 4.15 0.22
2nd mode 1 1723.098 1655.987 1652.410 4.28 0.22
3 1508.628 1443.965 1440.818 4.71 0.22
5 1230.619 1164.332 1161.700 5.93 0.23
0 3585.604 3357.522 3348.391 7.08 0.27
3rd mode 1 3412.846 3191.833 3183.127 7.22 0.27
3 3084.716 2874.408 2866.490 7.61 0.28
5 2718.993 2513.279 2506.194 8.49 0.28
 · 548 · ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA 2013

Natural frequencies of the beam with a thickness of 10 mm and three embedded SMA wires are
listed for four different lengths in Table 3. In addition, the percentages of error of Euler-Bernoulli
and Timoshenko beam theories are evaluated compared to the third-order beam theory. According to
this table, the natural frequency of the beam increases with a decrease in the length of the beam. In
short beams, great differences exist between natural frequencies evaluated using the Euler-Bernoulli
theory involving two other theories. Moreover, the difference between the natural frequencies which
are calculated based on the Timoshenko beam theory and third-order beam theory is not negligible for
short beams, though it can be neglected in long beams. In any case in which buckling occurs, frequency
jump happens, and the dashed line is used instead of the natural frequency in Table 3.

Table 3. Natural frequencies and percentages of error of SS beam with thickness of 10 mm and 3 embedded SMA wires for
T = 64 ◦ C
Length Natural frequency(Hz) % error
of beam Euler-Bernoulli Timoshenko Reddy Euler-Bernoulli Timoshenko
50 4042.200 3779.819 3753.512 7.69 0.70
1st mode 100 855.316 835.548 832.091 2.79 0.41
200 — — — — —
800 — — — — —
50 16732.229 13571.634 13431.968 24.57 1.04
2nd mode 100 4042.200 3779.819 3753.512 7.69 0.70
200 855.312 835.548 832.090 2.79 0.41
800 — — — — —
50 37877.621 26090.935 25694.507 47.41 1.54
3rd mode 100 9330.746 8171.904 8070.661 15.61 1.25
200 2188.543 2099.492 2077.353 5.35 1.07
800 140.354 133.978 133.819 4.88 0.12

The first three mode shapes of a C-C beam using three theories are plotted in Fig.12. As shown,
the Timoshenko and Reddy theories almost stand on one line, but there’s a remarkable error with
the Euler-Bernoulli theory. The diagram of the natural frequencies of the S-S beam is similar to that
discussed earlier. The first three mode shapes of S-S and C-F beams are shown in Figs.13 and 14,
respectively. For the C-F beam with a thickness of 10 mm, the first frequency increases constantly,
while the second and third decrease as shown in Fig.15. However, the frequencies then increased with an
increase in the number of SMA wires. Since the axial load is multiplied by the second-order derivative
of w(x), the sign of d2 w(x)/dx2 can exert a serious influence on the frequency. d2 w(x)/dx2 represents
convexity of w(x) and, as shown in Fig.14, the convexity of the 2nd and 3rd mode shape of the beam is

Fig. 12. First three mode shapes of CC beam with thick- Fig. 13. First three mode shapes of SS beam with thick-
ness of 10 mm for Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and Reddy ness of 10 mm for Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and Reddy
theories. theories.
 Vol. 26, No. 5 Mohammad Mehdi Barzegari et al.: Vibration Analysis of an SMA Beam · 549 ·

Fig. 14. First three mode shapes of CF beam with thick-

ness of 10 mm for Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and Reddy Fig. 15. Natural frequencies of CF beam with thickness of
theories. 10 mm at different numbers of SMA wires for T = 64 ◦ C.

undergoing a change. Therefore, the 2nd and 3rd natural frequencies of the system decrease, but after
increasing the number of SMA wires, they become large with a great slope.

IV. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, an analytical investigation is made on the natural frequency of a composite beam
with embedded pre-strained SMA wire actuators. This study is performed for beams with different
boundary conditions in accordance with Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and Reddy theories. Also, a
relation is obtained in which, the effect of the axial load, density and module of elasticity on overall
stiffness and natural frequency is given. According to this study, by increasing the number of SMA wires,
at a temperature below martensite finish temperature, the natural frequencies of the beam decrease
slightly. For clamped-clamped and simply-supported beams, the natural frequencies at a temperature
above austenite finish temperature decrease steeply. And, in these conditions, when the axial load’s
magnitude is greater than the buckling load, frequency jump occurs. For a C-F beam, the axial load
is tensile. So, by increasing the number of SMA wires, the axial load will make the natural frequencies
increase as a whole. For a low thickness-to-length ratio, all the theories are applicable, but for larger
ratios, the Euler-Bernoulli theory has relatively large percentages of error. Also, by increasing the number
of wires for all boundary conditions, the effect of the axial load on the natural frequency becomes more
important than the density and module of elasticity.

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