Motion of semi-definite systems including the effect of axial forces

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to determine a general closed-form solution of a discrete linear dynamic system having n degrees of freedom. The solution includes the effect of axial force as well as rigid body motion. This class of dynamic system which represent a large group of practical engineering problems are called "semi-definite systems." The solution is given in a compact matrix form which eliminates the necessity of a series-type solution. The matrix solution is developed in Duhamel's integral form which allows for the application of any type of time-varyingexternal forcing function.