ABSTRACT
The reader will experience the extension of function method to some problem classes that occur in Kirchhoff's beam theory. Some of those problems have traditionally been formulated in solid mechanics and their solutions are usually described in detail in texts covering this subject. The chapter considers the determination of natural frequencies of transverse vibrations of beams as well as some classical buckling beam problems. It analyzes one nontraditional problem and discusses one specific nonlinear formulation of a contact beam problem for which the influence function formalism also appears to be fairly productive. The chapter illustrates a possibility of offering some nontraditional undergraduate research projects within the existing curricula in mechanical engineering or in other related fields. It explores the possibility of some indirect applications of influence functions. The chapter utilizes influence functions, constructed for problems of a linear bending of beams, for the solution of some more complicated problems.
