Advances in dynamic instability: can a beam-column undergo tensile flutter?

Abstract

Tensile instability in beam-like structures has been highlighted in very few papers; the studies reported in the specific literature are limited to beam-columns characterised either by high shear deformation or by the presence of a single structural junction allowing a transversal displacement discontinuity. Moreover, to the authors’ knowledge, the flutter instability associated to tensile axial load has not yet been disclosed. This work aims to offer further contribution to the knowledge of tensile instability of beam-columns by considering the dynamic instability of an Euler Bernoulli beam in presence of an arbitrary number of internal sliders endowed with translational elastic springs. The use of the generalised functions allows an exact evaluation of the eigensolution, provided in closed form, both for conservative and nonconservative axial load. In particular, the following relevant question is posed: Can a beam-column undergo tensile flutter instability? A comprehensive parametric analysis conducted in this work gives an affirmative answer to the asked question.