ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the special computational methods that are available when they are solving dynamics problems in structures. It shows that the readers how one may solve dynamic problems in structures without having to resort to the finite-difference simulation of differential equations. The lumped-parameter methods are an attempt to convert a continuous system that would be governed by a complex set of differential equations into a system in which the masses are lumped at discrete points. The formulation of this section can be used in one of two ways. First, with the application of proper boundary conditions at each end of the beam, the forces, moments, deflections, and slopes of a beam that is being rotated, can be determined. Second, with the formulation, we can extract the natural frequencies of a rotating member and thereby estimate the effect of vibrations on the performance of a turbine or compressor blade.
