DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF HORIZONTALLY CURVED GIRDERS

Abstract

This study concerns with the dynamic analysis of horizontally curved girders. Symmetrical fixed curved girders of arbitrary shape and any distribution of mass and stiffness can be dealt with the method presented here. The numerical method consists in formulating a matrix of flexibility coefficients for a discretized model of curved girder consisting of lumped masses and flexible springs. Each mass is considered to have degree of freedom in vertical translation and twist. 'Natural frequencies and mode shapes are obtained by Matrix Iteration. Natural frequencies and mode shapes for fixed circular and parabolic girders are computed using this method. The fundamental frequencies compare well with those obtained Rayleigh-Ritz method. The effect of varying the number of lumped masses on the frequency is also studied