A Quasi-Exact Dynamic Finite Element for Free Vibration Analysis of Sandwich Beams

A Dynamic Finite Element (DFE) model for the vibration analysis of three-layered sandwich beams is presented. The governing differential equations of motion of the sandwich beam for the general case, when the properties of each layer are dissimilar, are exploited. Displacement fields are imposed such that the face layers follow the Rayleigh beam assumptions, while the core is governed by Timoshenko beam theory. The DFE model is then used to examine the free-vibration characteristics of an asymmetric soft-core sandwich beam with steel face layers and a rubber core. The natural frequency results for the first four modes, in this case, show the exact match between the DFE and 'exact' Dynamic Stiffness Matrix (DSM) formulations, using only a one-element mesh, justifying the use of Quasi-Exact (QE-DFE) title. Convergence-wise, the QE-DFE formulation also outperforms the conventional FEM, which makes it useful in benchmarking other studies or the examination of high frequency response where FEM requires the use of large number of elements in order to achieve better accuracy. The application of the DFE to a lead-core sandwich beam is also discussed.