On the separation of a mass travelling on a beam with axial forces (Q1905527)

The equation of motion in matrix form for an Euler beam acted upon by a concentrated mass moving at a constant speed and subjected to axial forces is formulated using a Lagrangian approach and the assumed mode method. The equation of motion is then nondimensionalized so that the numerical results presented can be applied to combinations of system parameters instead of some specified cases in the reported studies. The main contribution is to the study of contact forces between the beam and the mass to examine the possibility of the separation of the moving mass from the beam during the motion. Such a separation, if it occurs, will violate the assumption that the mass and the beam remain in contact at all times. The discrepancy of this contact force and the constant gravitational force also indicates the discrepancy between the ``moving-force'' and the corresponding ``moving force'' solutions. The effects of varying the axial forces to avoid the separation between the mass and the beam for various combinations of system parameters are examined. A specific example of a clamped-clamped beam subjected to a moving mass is presented, and separation of the mass from the beam is found to occur during the prescribed motion for certain combinations of the mass and its axial speed.