Parametric study on the dynamics of horizontally curved beams due to a moving inertial load considering the induced torsional moment

This paper is devoted to investigating the effect of applied torsional moment on the out-of-plane behavior of horizontally curved beams (HCBs) subjected to the excitation induced by a moving mass. As the mass travels along the top surface of HCBs, a torsional moment will be introduced into the system due to the eccentricity of the in-plane centrifugal action with respect to the shear center of the HCB section. The differential equations governing the HCB-moving mass system are first established considering the effect of mass inertia, Coriolis and centrifugal forces, and then numerically solved within the transition matrix approach. Thereafter, a parametric study is conducted to evaluate the influence of radius of curvature and central subtended angle of HCB, as well as the mass and velocity of the moving object. In general, with an increase in the values of radius of curvature and subtended angle of HCBs, a decreasing effect in the response of the system is observed. Moreover, a general magnifying effect is essentially experienced due to an increase in the mass and velocity of the moving object. As the results suggest, the magnifying effect of the induced torsional moment due to the in-plane centrifugal force is at most six percent for the results studied herein. For long-span HCBs, the torsional effect can be deemed as insignificant on the out-of-plane response of HCB-moving mass systems. In conclusion, it is indicated that considering the contribution of the torsional moment can offer a more realistic response estimation regarding the dynamics of HCBs acted upon by a moving inertial load.