Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

JOURNAL OF
SOUND AND
VIBRATION
www.elsevier.com/locate/jsvi

Vibration analysis of planar serial-frame structures

H.P. Lin*, J. Ro
Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Da-Yeh University, 112 Shan-Jiau Rd.,
Da-Tsuen, Chang-Hua 51505, Taiwan, ROC
Received 8 April 2002; accepted 1 July 2002

Abstract
A hybrid analytical/numerical method is proposed that permits the efcient dynamic analysis of planar
serial-frame structures. The method utilizes a numerical implementation of a transfer matrix solution to the
equation of motion. By analyzing the transverse and longitudinal motions of each segment simultaneously
and considering the compatibility requirements across each frame angle, the undetermined variables of the
entire frame structure system can be reduced to six which can be determined by application of the boundary
conditions. The main feature of this method is to decrease the dimensions of the matrix involved in the
nite element methods and certain other analytical methods.
r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Frame structures are usually used in engineering designs, i.e., cranes, bridges, aerospace
structures, etc. The dynamic behaviors of frame structures can be predicted by using certain
analytical and numerical methods such as the dynamic stiffness methods (DSM) and the nite
element methods (FEM). The DSM employs the solutions of governing equations under
harmonic nodal excitations as shape functions to formulate an analytical stiffness matrix. The
method requires closed-form solutions of the governing equations which restrict the application
areas [1]. The FEM has been very commonly used in recent years in this eld. However, the FEM
requires a large amount of computer memory and computation time, since many degrees of
freedom are required for accurately solving dynamic problems for these structures [2,3]. To solve
this problem, various methods have been studied to overcome the disadvantages [25]. In most of
the previous studies, the EulerBernoulli beam-theory model obtained by deriving the differential
equation and the associated boundary conditions for a basic uniform EulerBernoulli beam are
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-4-8511888; fax: +886-4-8511895.
E-mail address: linhp@mail.dyu.edu.tw (H.P. Lin).
0022-460X/03/$ - see front matter r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 0 2 2 - 4 6 0 X ( 0 2 ) 0 1 0 8 9 - 1

1114

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

often used and discussed. Some researchers have also studied the different results between the
EulerBernoulli beam-theory models and the Timoshenko beam theory. Finally, it is possible to
evaluate natural frequencies simply by nding roots of the high order determinant of the coefcient
matrix of the linear system if accuracy of the eigensolutions is required.
This investigation presents a hybrid analytical/numerical method that permits the efcient
computation of the eigensolutions for planar serial-frame structures with various boundary
conditions. The method is based on partitioning the frame structure to the sub-beam segments
and considering the transverse and longitudinal motions of each segment and, by the
compatibility requirements across each frame angle, the relationship of the six integration
constants of the eigenfunctions between adjacent sub-beams can be determined. By using the
transfer matrix method [9,10], as a consequence, the entire system has only six unknown
constants, which can be solved through the satisfaction of six boundary conditions. In this article,
the eigenvalue problem is solved by using closed-form transfer matrix methods.

2. Theoretical model
A typical planar serial-frame structure with K frame angles y1 ; y2 ; y; yK is shown in Fig. 1. This
structure is partitioned into K 1 components at the angle positions enabling a substructure
approach. There are K 1 sub-beams with lengths L1 ; L2 ; y; LK1 ; and the positions of the frame
angles are located by X1 ; X2 ; :::; XK ; respectively, in Fig. 1. In doing the vibration analysis of this
system for this study, each component member (sub-beam) is analyzed by its transverse and
longitudinal motions, respectively. Let the X -axis represent the longitudinal direction and the Y axis the transverse direction of each component member; then, the traditional vibration theories
of an EulerBernoulli beam and the axial vibration of a rod are considered. The vibration
amplitudes of the transverse and longitudinal displacements of the component i (sub-beam) are

Fig. 1. A planar serial-frame structure with K frame angles y1 ; y2 ; y; yk located at positions X1 ; X2 ; y; XK ;

respectively; lengths of sub-beams are L1 ; L2 ; y; Lk ; Lk1 where L1 L2 ? Lk Lk1 L:

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1115

Fig. 2. Transverse and longitudinal motions of a segment.

denoted by Yi X ; T and Ui X ; T on the interval Xi1 oX oXi where the sub-index i represents
the ith segment and i 1; 2; y; K 1; as shown in Fig. 2. The entire system is now divided into
K 1 segments, wherein the total length of this frame system is L L1 L2 ? LK1 :
According to Refs. [68], the equations of motion for each segment, assumed with a uniform
cross-section, are
transverse motion:
EI

@4 Yi X ; T
@2 Yi X ; T

rA
0;
@X 4
@T 2

Xi1 oX oXi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1;

longitudinal motion:
E

@2 Ui X ; T
@2 Ui X ; T
r
0;
2
@X
@T 2

Xi1 oX oXi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1;

where E is Youngs modulus of the material, I is the moment of inertia of the beam cross-section,
r is the density of material and A is the cross-section area of the beam.
The boundary conditions, the xedxed supported case for this example, are
Y 0; T Y L; T 0;

3a

Y 0 0; T Y 0 L; T 0;

3b

U0; T UL; T 0:

3c

The transverse and the longitudinal motions at the end of the segment before each frame angle
constrain the motions of the adjacent segment after the same frame angle. So the compatibility
conditions enforce continuities in the displacement eld (in both transverse and longitudinal),
slope, bending moment, shear force and axial force, respectively, across each frame angle yi ; as
shown in Fig. 3a (displacements) and Fig. 3b (forces), which can be expressed as
Yi1 Xi ; T Yi Xi ; T cos yi Ui Xi ; T sin yi ;

displacement continuity;

4a

Ui1 Xi ; T Yi Xi ; T sin yi Ui Xi ; T cos yi ;

displacement continuity;

4b

1116

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

Fig. 3. (a) Displacement compatibility requirements across ith frame angle yi : Yi and Ui are transverse and longitudinal
displacements of segment i at position Xi : (b) Force compatibility requirements across ith frame angle yi : Vi and Fi are
shear and axial forces of segment i at position Xi :

0
Yi1
Xi ; T Yi0 Xi ; T;
00
Yi1
Xi ; T Yi00 Xi ; T;

slope continuity;

4c

moment continuity;

4d

000
EIYi1
Xi ; T EIYi000 Xi ; T cos yi  EAUi0 Xi ; T sin yi ;
0
EAUi1
Xi ; T EIYi000 Xi ; T sin yi  EAUi0 Xi ; T cos yi ;

4e

shear continuity;

axial force continuity; 4f

Xi

where the symbols

and Xi denote the locations immediately above and below the angle
position Xi : All the assumptions in the above compatibility conditions are the same as the
traditional analysis of the transverse vibrations of an EulerBernoulli beam and the axial
vibrations of a rod. The frame angles are also assumed to be unchanged during the motions of the
frame.
In the above, the following quantities are introduced:
y

Y
;
L

X
;
L

U
;
L

T
t p;
L

li

Li
;
L

xi

Xi
:
L

Thus, in each segment, Eqs. (1) and (2) can then be expressed in a non-dimensional form as
EI @4 yi x; t
@2 yi x; t

rA
0;
L3 @x4
@t2

xi1 oxoxi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1;

E @2 ui x; t
@2 ui x; t

r
0; xi1 oxoxi ; i 1; 2; y; K 1:
7
L @x2
@t2
The non-dimensional compatibility conditions across each frame angle are (from Eqs.
(4a)(4f))


yi1 x
i ; t yi xi ; t cos yi ui xi ; tsin yi ;

8a

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1117



ui1 x
i ; t yi xi ; t sin yi  ui xi ; t cos yi ;

8b

0 
y0i1 x
i ; t yi xi ; t;

8c

00 
y00i1 x
i ; t yi xi ; t;

8d

000 
y000
i1 xi ; t yi xi ; t cos yi 

AL2 0 
u x ; t sin yi ;
I i i

8e

I 000 
y x ; t sin yi  u0i x
8f
i ; t cos yi ;
AL2 i i
where i 1; 2; :::; K: Similarly, the non-dimensional boundary conditions from Eqs. (3a)(3c), for
the example of xedxed ends, can be written as
u0i1 x
i ; t

y0; t y1; t 0;

9a

y0 0; t y0 1; t 0;

9b

u0; t u1; t 0:

9c

3. Calculation of eigensolutions
The eigensolutions for cases of commonly used different boundary conditions are derived. The
solutions of the other boundary conditions can also be obtained easily through a similar
procedure. Using the separable solutions: yi x; t wi xejot and ui x; t vi xejot in Eqs. (6) and
(7) leads to an associated eigenvalue problem,
4
w0000
i x  l wi x 0;

v00i x g2 vi x 0;

xi1 oxoxi ;
xi1 oxoxi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1;
i 1; 2; y; K 1;

10
11

where
rAL3 o2
rLo2
and g2
:
12
EI
E
From Eq. (12), the relationship between l and g can be expressed as
r
I 1 2
l al2 ;
13
g
AL
p
where a is a constant a I=A 1=L; for
a square
cross-section
of the segment with width B
p

p
and height H; a can be expressed as a I=A1=L 1=12H=L: From Eqs. (8a)(8f), the
corresponding compatibility conditions across each frame angle lead to
l4



wi1 x
i wi xi cos yi vi xi sin yi ;

14a

1118

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131



vi1 x
i wi xi sin yi  vi xi cos yi ;

14b

0 
w0i1 x
i wi xi ;

14c

00 
w00i1 x
i wi xi ;

14d

000 
w000
i1 xi wi xi cos yi 

v0i1 x
i

AL2 0 
v x sin yi ;
I i i

14e

I
w000 x sin yi  v0i x
i cos yi
AL2 i i

14f

for i 1; 2; y; K: The boundary conditions, from Eqs. (9a)(9c), are

w0 0; w1 0; w0 0 0;

15a2c

w0 1 0; v0 0; v1 0:

15d2f

A closed-form solution to this eigenvalue problem can be obtained by employing transfer matrix
methods [9,10]. The general solutions of Eqs. (10) and (11), for each segment, are
wi x Ai sin lx  xi1 Bi cos lx  xi1 Ci sinh lx  xi1
Di cosh lx  xi1 ;

xi1 oxoxi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1;

16

vi x Ei sin gx  xi1 Fi cos gx  xi1

Ei sin al2 x  xi1 Fi cos al2 x  xi1 ;

xi1 oxoxi ;

i 1; 2; y; K 1; 17

where Ai ; Bi ; Ci ; Di ; Ei and Fi are constants associated with the ith segment i 1; 2; y; K 1:

The constants in the (i 1)th segment (Ai1 ; Bi1 ; Ci1 ; Di1 ; Ei1 and Fi1 ) are related to those in
the ith segment (Ai ; Bi ; Ci ; Di ; Ei and Fi ) through the compatibility conditions in Eqs. (14a)(14f),
which can be expressed as
8
8 9
8 9
9
>
>
>
Ai >
Ai >
Ai1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
3i >
2
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Bi1 >
Bi >
Bi >
t11 t12 t13 t14 t15 t16
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<C >
<C >
<C >
= 6^
=
=
7 >
i1
i
i
7
6
6
T i
;
18
7
66
>
>
5 >
> Di1 >
> Di >
> Di >
> 4^
> %
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
y
t65 t66
> Ei1 >
> Ei >
> Ei >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F ;
:F ;
:F >
;
i1
i
i
where T i
66 is the 6  6 transfer matrix which depends on the eigenvalue l; for which the elements
%
are derived in Appendix A.

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1119

Through repeated applications of Eq. (18), the six constants in the rst segment (A1 ; B1 ; C1 ; D1 ;
E1 and F1 ) can be mapped into those of the last segment, thereby reducing the number of
independent constants of the entire system to six:
8
8
8
8 9
9
9
9
>
>
>
>
AK >
AK1 >
A1 >
AK1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
B
B
B
B
K1 >
K >
K1 >
1>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<C
<C =
<C
<C >
=
=
=
K1
K
K1
1
K
K
K1
K
K1
1
T 66
T 66 T 66
T 66 T 66 yT 66
:
19
>
>
>
>
%
%
%
%
%
%
DK1 >
DK >
DK1 >
D1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
EK1 >
EK >
EK1 >
E1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F
:F ;
:F
:F >
;
;
;
K1

K1

These six remaining constants (A1 ; B1 ; C1 ; D1 ; E1 and F1 ) can be determined through the
satisfaction of the boundary conditions in Eqs. (15a)-(15f). For the example case of a planar
serial-frame with xedxed ends, beginning with those at the left support, Eqs. (16), (17), (15a),
(15c) and (15e) lead to
B1 D1 0;

A1 C1 0;

F1 0:

20a2c

Satisfaction of the boundary conditions of Eqs. (16) and (17) at the right support, Eqs. (15b),
(15d) and (15f), requires
AK1 sin llK1 BK1 cos llK1 CK1 sinh llK1 DK1 cos hllK1 0;

20d

AK1 cos llK1  BK1 sin llK1 CK1 cosh llK1 DK1 sinh llK1 0;

20e

EK1 sin al2 lK1 FK1 cos al2 lK1 0;

20f

which can be expressed in matrix form as

8 9 2
sin llK1 cos llK1 sinh llK1
>
=
<0>
6 cos ll
0 4
K1 sin llK1 cosh llK1
>
;
: >
0
0
0
0
8
8
9
9
>
>
AK1 >
AK1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
BK1 >
BK1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<C
<C
=
=
K1
K1

B36
;
> DK1 >
> DK1 >
> %
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> EK1 >
> EK1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F
:F
;
;
K1

where

sin llK1

6
B36 4 cos llK1
%
0

cosh llK1

sinh llK1

sin al2 lK1

cos al2 lK1

7
5

21

K1

cos llK1

sinh llK1

cosh llK1

sin llK1

cosh llK1

sinh llK1

sin al lK1

cos al lK1

3
7
5:

22

1120

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

Substitution of Eq. (19) into Eq. (21) and use of Eq. (20a)-(20c) leads to
8
8 9
9
>
>
>
A
A1 >
K1
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
8 9
>
>
>
BK1 >
B1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<0>
=
<C
<C >
=
=
K1
1
K1
1
0 B36
T
y
T
B36 T K
;
>
>
% 66 % 66
% 66 >
D1 >
: >
; %
> DK1 >
>
> %
>
>
>
>
>
0
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> EK1 >
> E1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F
:F >
;
;
K1

8 9
>
A1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
8 9
>
>
2
B1 >
>
>
>
>
r11
>
>
<C >
=
<0>
=
1
6
0 R36
4 r21
> D1 >
>
>
>
: >
; %
>
>
r31
0
>
>
>
> E1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F >
;

r12

r13

r14

r15

r22

r23

r24

r25

r32

r33

r34

r35

r11

r12

r13

r14

r15

r22

r23

r24

r25

7
r26 5:

r32

r33

r34

r35

r36

where

6
K1
1
R36 B36 T K
66 T 66 yT 66 4 r21
%
%
%
%
%
r31

Thus, the existence of non-trivial solutions requires

2
r11 l  r13 l r12 l  r14 l
6
det4 r21 l  r23 l r22 l  r24 l
r31 l  r33 l

8
9
>
A1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
3>
B1 >
>
>
>
>
r16 >
< A >
=
1
7
r26 5
;
>
B1 >
>
>
>
>
r36 >
>
>
> E1 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
: 0 >
;

r32 l  r34 l

r15 l

r16

23

7
r25 l 5 0:

24

r35 l

This determinant provides the single (characteristic) equation for the solution of the eigenvalue ln :
This equation is solved using the standard NewtonRaphson iterations or, for simplication,
using the method shown in Fig. 4 to obtain the eigenvalues. The coefcients of the eigenfunctions,
wn x and vn x; are obtained by back-substitution into Eqs. (23) and (18) followed by Eqs. (16)
and (17).
For cases of other usually used boundary conditions, through a similar procedure, the following
relationships can be obtained:
(a) Fixedhinged boundary conditions: The existence of non-trivial solutions for the
constants A1 ; B1 ;C1 ; D1 ; E1 and F1 is the same as in Eq. (24), but the matrix B36 in Eq. (21)
%
now becomes
3
2
sin llK1
cos llK1 sinh llK1 cosh llK1
0
0
7
6
0
0
B36 4 sin llK1 cos llK1 sinh llK1 cosh llK1
5:
%
2
2
0
0
0
0
sin al lK1 cos al lK1
25

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1121

0.5
0.4
0.3

determinant

0.2
0.1
0

first

second

third

-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8
1
1.2
------> eigenvalues

1.4

1.6

1.8

Fig. 4. Simple calculation of eigenvalues.

(b) Fixedfree boundary conditions: The existence of non-trivial solutions is the same as in
Eq. (24), but the matrix B36 in Eq. (21) now becomes
%
3
2
sin llK1 cos llK1 sinh llK1 cosh llK1
0
0
7
6
sin llK1
cosh llK1 sinh llK1
0
0
B36 4 cos llK1
5:
%
2
2
0
0
0
0
cos al lK1 sin al lK1
26
(c) Hinged-hinged boundary conditions: The existence of non-trivial solutions now requires
3
2
r11 l r13 l r15 l
7
6
det4 r21 l r23 l r25 l 5 0;
27
r31 l r33 l r35 l
the matrix B36 in Eq. (21) is now the same as in Eq. (25).
%
(d) Freefree
boundary conditions: The existence of non-trivial solutions requires
2
3
r11 l r13 l r12 l r14 l r16 l
6
7
det4 r21 l r23 l r22 l r24 l r26 l 5 0;
r31 l r33 l r32 l r34 l r36 l
and the matrix B36 in Eq. (21) is now the same as Eq. (26).
%

28

1122

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

4. Numerical results and discussion

In order to validate the method presented in this article, some numerical results are compared
with the available and experimental data. First is the case of an angled-beam structure, as shown
in Fig. 5. The case of y1 p represents a straight beam, for which the numerical calculation
results for different boundary conditions by the proposed solution procedure in this study are
shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows that the above results are almost the same as the exact solutions
for a beam in different boundary conditions. For another case of a xedfree angled beam with
y1 p=2; L1 L2 50 cm; section width B 12:7 mm; section height H 12:7 mm; density
r 7800 kg=m3 ; Youngs modulus E 2:06  1011 N=m2 ; as shown in Fig. 6, by experimental
modal testing, the lowest ve natural frequencies of this structure are measured as O1 14 Hz,
O2 38 Hz, O3 184 Hz, O4 269 Hz and O5 583 Hz. The comparisons of the calculated
natural frequencies from this study and the measured results are shown in Table 2, which indicates
that the errors are small and satisfactory.
For the case of y1 p=2 with a xedxed boundary condition (Fig. 5), by changing the angle
position l1 (non-dimensional) from 0 to 1.0, the lowest four eigenvalues (natural frequencies)
obtained in this study are shown in Fig. 7. In this case, Fig. 7 is symmetric because the results
from angle position l1 should be the same as the results from angle position 1  l1 : Also note that
the solutions for the cases l1 0 and 1:0 are the same as the cases of a straight beam with a xed
xed boundary condition. For the same structure with l1 l2 0:5 (Fig. 5), by changing the
frame angle y1 from 01 to 1801; the lowest four eigenvalues are obtained as shown in Fig. 8, which
indicates that the variations in these lowest four eigenvalues are small when the angle y1 is in the

L2

X1
1

L1

Fig. 5. An angled-beam structure with one frame angle.

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1123

Table 1
Comparisons for an angled-beam structure with angle y1 1801 (H=L 0:05)
Different
B.Cs

Eigenvalues
l2

l1

Hinged
hinged
Fixedfree
Fixedxed

l3

Calculated
from this
study

Exact
solution

Calculated
from this
study

Exact
solution

3.1426

6.2842

2p

1.8801
4.7350

1.8735
4.7296

4.6991
7.8582

4.6736
7.8524

Calculated
from this
study
9.4258
7.8598
11.0006

Exact
solution
3p
7.8549
10.9955

Fig. 6. An experimental xedfree angled-beam structure.

range from 401 to 1401: It can be considered that the dynamic stiffness of this frame structure is
close within this frame angle range. Also note that in Fig. 8, there is a cross-over phenomenon
for the rst and the second modes near the angle y1 above 1601: Before this cross-over point, the
rst mode is anti-symmetric and the second mode is symmetric in the transverse motion
(dominant). After this cross-over point, the rst mode now becomes symmetric and the second
mode becomes anti-symmetric. This can be distinguished from the mode shapes shown in Figs. 9
and 10 for different y1 angles y1 1401; 1601; 1701 and 1801: The third mode in Fig. 8 also has a

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1124

fixed-fixed angle beam with H/L=0.024, theta=90 degree

18

the lowest four eigenvalues

16

14

12

10

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional angle position

0.8

0.9

Fig. 7. Lowest four eigenvalues for an angled-beam structure by changing angle position l1 :

fixed-fixed angle beam with H/L=0.024, L1=L2=0.5

18
symmetric mode

16

anti-symmetric mode

the lowest four eigenvalues

14
12
10

symmetric mode
anti-symmetric mode

8
6
4
2
0

20

40

60

80
100
angle degree

120

140

160

180

Fig. 8. Lowest four eigenvalues for an angled-beam structure by changing angle y1 :

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1125

Table 2
Experimental comparisons of a xedfree angled-beam structure with angle y p=2; L1 L2 50 cm; section height
H 1:27 cm, section width B 1:27 cm, density r 7800 kg=m3 and Youngs modulus, E 2:06  1011 N=m2
Measured natural frequencies (Hz)

O1
O2
O3
O4
O5

Calculated natural frequency

14
38
184
269
583

Calculated from this study (Hz)

Error (%)

14.2
38.3
188.9
276.6
603.2

1.4
0.79
3.2
2.8
3.5

second mode, theta=160 degree

second mode, theta=140 degree

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

non-dimensional length

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

non-dimensional length

first mode, theta=170 degree

first mode, theta=180 degree

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional length

0.8

0.9

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

non-dimensional length

Fig. 9. Transverse symmetric mode shapes near cross-over point for y1 1401; 1601; 1701; and 1801: solid curve,
transverse displacement; dashed curve, longitudinal displacement.

phenomenon similar to the rst mode. There is also a cross-over point at the third and the
fourth modes near the position y1 below 1401: The third mode shapes for different y1 values
y1 201; 301; 1001; 1401; 1601 and 1801 are shown in Fig. 11, which indicated that before the

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1126

first mode, theta=140 degree

first mode, theta=160 degree

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional length

0.8

0.9

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional length

second mode, theta=180 degree

second mode, theta=170 degree

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional length

0.8

0.9

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
non-dimensional length

Fig. 10. Transverse anti-symmetric mode shapes near cross-over point for y1 1401; 1601; 1701; and 1801: solid curve,
transverse displacement; dashed curve, longitudinal displacement.

cross-over point y1 o1401 the transverse motion of the third mode is anti-symmetric, and after
this cross-over point the third mode becomes symmetric.
For a frame structure with multiple frame angles, as shown in Fig. 12a, by the proposed
solution procedure in this study, the eigensolutions (natural frequencies and mode shapes) can
easily be obtained. The geometry of the frame structure in Fig. 12a is l1 0:3; l2 0:4; l3 0:3;
y1 p=2; y2 p=2 with a xedxed boundary condition. The lowest three eigenvalues are
obtained as: l1 5:5992; l2 9:5904; l3 14:3330; the corresponding eigenfunctions (mode
shapes) of which are shown in Figs. 12bd.

5. Conclusions
A hybrid analytical/numerical solution method that permits the efcient evaluation of
eigensolutions for planar serial-frame structures has been developed. The method utilizes a
numerical implementation of a transfer matrix solution to the analytical equation of motion.

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

the third mode, theta=30 degree

the third mode, theta=20 degree

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.1

0.2

0.3

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.9

0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

non-dimensional length
the third mode, theta=180 degree

the third mode, theta=160 degree

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8
transverse and longitudinal mode displacement

0.8

0.4

non-dimensional length

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.7

0.6

-0.8
0.2

0.6

0.8

0.6

0.1

0.5

the thirdmode, theta=140 degree

the third mode, theta=100 degree

0.8

0.4

non-dimensional length

non-dimensional length

-0.8

1127

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

non-dimensional length

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

non-dimensional length

Fig. 11. Third mode shape for different y1 angles y1 201; 301; 1001; 1403 ; 1601 and 1801: solid curve, transverse
displacement; dashed curve, longitudinal displacement.

Unlike all the other methods, in which the dimensions of the matrix increase with the complexity
of the structure, there are only six undetermined coefcients in the method proposed in this study.
The main feature of this method is to decrease the dimension of the matrix involved in the nite
element method and certain other analytical methods.

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1128

original frame structure

frame structure first mode shape

0.5
0.5
0.45
0.45
0.4
0.4
0.35

0.35
0.3
y

0.3
0.25

0.25

0.2

0.2

0.15

0.15

0.1

0.1

0.05

0.05

0
-0.05

0.05

0.1

(a)

0.15

0.2
x

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0
-0.05

0.45

0.05

(b)

original frame structure

0.5

0.45

0.45

0.4

0.4

0.35

0.35

0.3

0.3

0.25

0.25

0.5

0.2

0.2

0.15

0.15

0.1

0.1

0.05

0.05

(c)

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2
x

0.25

0.3

0.15

0.2 0.25
x

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.35

0.4

0.45

frame structure third mode shape

frame structure second mode shape

0
-0.05

0.1

first mode shape:
1 = 5.5992,

0.35

0.4

second mode shape:
2 = 9.5984,

0
-0.05

0.45

(d)

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2 0.25
x

0.3

third mode shape:
3 = 14.3330,

Fig. 12. Lowest three eigensolutions of a multi-angle frame structure.

Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Council of Taiwan,
R.O.C. under grant number NSC 90-2745-P-212-003. The authors also wish to express
appreciation to Dr. Cheryl Rutledge for her editorial assistance.
Appendix A. Transfer matrix derivation
The compatibility conditions across the ith angle i 1; 2; y; K are represented in
Eqs. (14a)(14f).
From Eq. (14a),


wi1 x
i wi xi cos yi vi xi sin yi ;

wi1 x
i Bi1 Di1 ;
wi x
i Ai sin lli B cos lli Ci sinh lli Di cosh lli ;
2
2
vi x
i Ei sin al li Fi cos al li ;

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1129

Bi1 Di1  Ai sin lli Bi coslli Ci sinh lli Di cosh lli cos yi
Ei sin al2 li Fi cos al2 li sin yi ;

i 1; 2; y; K:

A:1

From Eq. (14b),



vi1 x
i wi xi sin yi  vi xi cos yi ;

vi1 x
i Fi1 ;
Fi1  Ai sin lli Bi cos lli Ci sinh lli Di cosh lli sin yi
 Ei sin al2 li Fi cos al2 li cos yi ;

i 1; 2; y; K:

A:2

From Eq. (14c),

0 
w0i1 x
i wi xi ;

w0i1 x
i Ai1 l Ci1 l;
w0i x
i Ai l cos lli  Bi l sin lli Ci l cosh lli Di l sinh lli ;
Ai1 Ci1 Ai cos lli  Bi sin lli Ci cosh lli Di sinh lli ;

i 1; 2; y; K:

A:3

From Eq. (14d),

00 
w00i1 x
i wi xi ;
2
2
w00i1 x
i Bi1 l Di1 l ;
2
2
2
2
w00i x
i  Ai l sin lli  Bi l cos lli Ci l sinh lli Di l cosh lli

 Bi1 Di1 Ai sin lli  Bi cos lli Ci sin lli Di cosh lli ;
i 1; 2; y; K:

A:4

From Eq. (14e),

AL2 0 
v x sin yi ;
I i i
3
3

w000
i1 xi Ai1 l Ci1 l ;

000 
w000
i1 xi wi xi cos yi 

3
3
3
3

w000
i xi Ai l cos lli Bi l sin lli Ci l cosh lli Di l sinh lli ;
2
2
2
2
v0i x
i Ei al cos al li  Fi al sin al li ;

Ai1 Ci1  Ai cos lli Bi sin lli Ci cosh lli Di sinh lli cos yi

Here

aAL2
Ei cos al2 li  Fi sin al2 li sin yi ;
Il
r
I 1
a
AL

i 1; 2; y; K:

A:5

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

1130

so

s
p
12
aAL
AL2 1

Il
I l H=Ll
2

for square cross-section:

From Eq. (14f),

v0i1 x
i

I
w000 x sin yi  v0i x
i cos yi ;
AL2 i i
2
v0i1 x
i Ei1 al ;

Il
Ai cos lli Bi sin lli Ci cosh lli Di sinh lli sin yi
aAL2
 Ei cos al2 li  Fi sin al2 li cos yi
 
1 H
p
lAi cos lli Bi sin lli Ci cosh lli Di sinh lli sin yi
12 L

Ei1

 Ei cos al2 li  Fi sin al2 li cos yi ;

i 1; 2; y; K:

A:6

Solving for Eqs. (A.1)(A.6) leads to the following recursion formulae for the constants Ai1 ;
Bi1 ; Ci1 ; Di1 ; Ei1 and Fi1 :
8
8 9
8 9
9
>
>
>
Ai1 >
Ai >
Ai >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
3i >
2
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Bi1 >
Bi >
Bi >
t11 t12 t13 t14 t15 t16
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<C = 6^
<C >
=
7 <C =
i1
i
i
7
6
i
6
T 66
; i 1; 2; y; K:
7
> Di1 >
>
> 4^
5 >
%
Di >
Di >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Ei1 >
>
>
>
>
>
y
t65 t66
Ei >
Ei >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
:F >
:F >
:F >
;
;
;
i1

is a transfer matrix composed of the elements:

Here, T i
% 66
t11 12cos lli 1  cos yi ;
t12 1
2 sin lli 1  cos yi ;

t15

t13 12cosh lli 1 cos yi ;

" p
#
12
1
2
cos al li sin yi ;

2 H=Ll
t21 12sin lli 1  cos yi ;
t23 1
2 sinh lli 1 cos yi ;
t25 12sin al2 li sin yi ;

t14 12sinh lli 1 cos yi ;

" p
#
12
1
2
sin al li sin yi ;
t16
2 H=Ll
t22 12cos lli 1  cos yi ;
t24 1
2 cosh lli 1 cos yi ;
t26 12cos al2 li sin yi ;

t31 12cos lli 1 cos yi ;

t32 1
2 sin lli 1 cos yi ;

t33 12cosh lli 1  cos yi ;

t34 12sinh lli 1  cos yi ;

H.P. Lin, J. Ro / Journal of Sound and Vibration 262 (2003) 11131131

t35

" p
#
12
1
2

cos al li sin yi ;
2 H=Ll

t36

" p
#
12
1
2

sin al li sin yi ;
2 H=Ll

t41 1
2 sin lli 1 cos yi ;

t42 1
2 cos lli 1 cos yi ;

t43 12sinh lli 1  cos yi ;

t44 12cosh lli 1  cos yi ;

t45 12sin al2 li sin yi ;

 
1 H
l cos lli sin yi ;
t51 p
12 L
 
1 H
t53 p
l cosh lli sin yi ;
12 L
t55 cos al2 li cos yi ;

1131

t46 12cos al2 li sin yi ;

 
1 H
t52 p
l sin lli sin yi ;
12 L
 
1 H
t54 p
l sinh lli sin yi ;
12 L
t56 sin al2 li cos yi ;

t61 sin lli sin yi ;

t62 cos lli sin yi ;

t63 sinh lli sin yi ;

t64 cosh lli sin yi ;

t65 sin al2 li cos yi ;

t66 cos al2 li cos yi :

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and Vibration 242 (3) (2001) 377395.
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Horwood, New York, 1989.
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dynamic stiffness matrices, Journal of Sound and Vibration 185 (3) (1995) 431440.
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2001.
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and Vibration 179 (1) (1995) 131149.
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