DYNAMICS AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF AN AXIALLY MOVING BEAM IN AXIAL FLOW

The present study focuses on investigating dynamics and stability of an axially moving beam subjected to axial flows. The axially moving beam is simply-supported at both ends. The added mass of fluid attached to the beam and the nonlinear additional deflection-dependent axial force are considered in deriving the governing equation of motion. Firstly, the stability analysis is performed with consideration of the effects of parameters such as axial flow velocity, the speed of axially moving beam and slenderness ratio of the beam. It is indicated that the beam loses stability via buckling or flutter at a critical speed of moving beam which is associated with variations of system parameters. Subsequently, the nonlinear dynamic responses of the beam for increasing moving speed under different axial flow velocities are investigated in detail. Results show that the beam can successively experience buckling and flutter behaviors. In addition, effects of system parameters like mass ratio, slenderness ratio, and pretension on instability mode, buckling displacement and flutter amplitude of the beam are explored to obtain their sensitivity to dynamics of the moving beam. These findings provide an important guidance for designing axially moving structures in engineering applications.