A Semi-Analytical Approach for the Linearized Vibration of Clamped Beams with the Effect of Static and Thermal Load

The geometric nonlinearity due to static and thermal load can significantly alter the vibration response of structures. This study presents a semi-analytical approach to illustrate the nonlinear vibration of clamped-clamped beams under static and thermal loads. The von Karman strain and Hamilton’s principle are employed to derive the nonlinear static equilibrium equation and nonlinear governing equation. The vibration equation’s coefficient is variable. The transfer-matrix method and local homogenization are used to solve the equation. The proposed method’s accuracy is validated by commercial software and literature. The numerical results indicate that uniform stress caused by thermal load only reduces the structural mode frequencies. The geometric nonlinearity of the structural static deformation affects both the mode frequencies and mode shapes. And the mode shapes cannot be approximated by harmonic functions. When the static deformation is significant, the structure’s local RMS response is substantially affected. The combined loads have a more significant impact on the acceleration response than the superposition of individual load effects.