FUNDAMENTAL
OBJECTIVES OF
STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS
Disturbance Civil Engineering Response
structures
Buildings
Structural
Bridges etc.
design
Safety
Serviceability
“Vibration”
Structural
Dynamic force Displacement u(t)
model
Stress σ(t)
Earthquake
Wind
Machinery
Vehicle (traffic) etc.
Structural dynamics
Dynamic load: Magnitude, Direction, Position varies with
time.
1) Prescribed dynamic loading: If the time variation of loading
is fully known, it is called prescribed dynamic loading.
Prescribed loading may be periodic or nonperiodic., i.e.
sinusoidal variation called simple harmonic like unbalanced
mass effects in rotating machinery and hydrodynamic
pressures generated by a propeller at the stern of a ship.
1) Prescribed dynamic loading: Nonperiodic loading may be
either short duration impulsive loadings like a blast or
explosion or long duration loading such as earthquake
2) Random dynamic loading: If the time variation of loading is
not completely known but can be defined in a statistical
sense, it is called random dynamic loading.
Dynamic response: The structural response to a dynamic
load i.e. the resulting stresses and deflections, is also time
varying and is called dynamic response.
1) Deterministic analysis: If the loading is prescribed dynamic
loading, the analysis of the response of structural system is
defined as deterministic analysis
2) Non-deterministic analysis: If the loading is random dynamic
loading, the corresponding analysis of response is defined as
non-deterministic analysis.
Essential characteristics of a dynamic problem
(1) Time variation (2) Inertial forces
External Structure Response Governing
force equation
Structural f k u -ku+f=0
mechanics
Structural f(t) m c k u
u u mu cu ku f 0
dynamics
Degree of Freedom (DOF)
Number of independent displacements which must
be considered in order to represent or describe the
motion or position of the structure is called “degree
of freedom” DOF.
Methods of discretization
Lumped-mass Generalized Finite-element
procedure displacements procedure
Lumped-mass procedure
An analysis of the dynamic system is
complicated because of inertial forces
which result from structural time-varying
displacements which in turn are
influenced by the magnitudes of inertial
forces. Thus it is required to formulate
the system by writing its differential
equations.
In lumped-mass procedure, the mass of the system is assumed to be
concentrated at discrete points. Then the analytical problem is greatly
simplified because it is required only to write differential equations at the
lumped mass points where inertial forces are developed.
2) Method of generalized displacement
Lumped-mass procedure
provides a simple means of
limiting the number of DOF.
Lumping procedure is most
effective in treating systems
in which a large proportion of
the total mass actually is
concentrated at a few
discrete points..
When the mass of the system
is quite uniformly distributed
throughout, an alternative to
limit DOF is needed.
This procedure is based on
the assumption that the
deflected shape of the
structure can be expressed
as the sum of a series of
specified displacement
patterns. These patterns then
become the displacement
coordinates of the structure.
2) Method of generalized displacement
A simple example of this approach
is the trigonometric series
representation of the deflection of
a simple beam. In this case, the
deflection shape may be
expressed as the sum of
independent sine-wave
contributions.
nx
v( x ) b n sin
n 1 L
In general, any shape which are compatible with the prescribed
geometric-support conditions and which maintain the necessary continuity
of internal displacements may be assumed. Thus a
generalized expression for the displacements
v( x ) Z n n ( x )
n 1
of any one dimensional structure might be written
For any assumed set of displacement function (x), the resulting shape of
the structure depends upon the amplitude terms Zn, which will be referred
with the prescribed geometric-support to as generalized coordinates. The
number of assumed shape patterns represents the number of DOF
considered in this form of idealization.
3) The finite-element concept
Finite element concept combines certain features of both the
lumped mass and the generalized coordinates procedures, and
is particularly effective computer analyses.
In the finite element idealization, the structure is divided into an
appropriate number of elements which may be all of the same
size or all different. The corners of these elements, at which
they are interconnected, are called nodal points.
The deflection shape of the complete structure can now be
expressed in terms of these nodal points by means of an
appropriate set of assumed displacement functions. The
displacement functions are called interpolation functions.
