The response of a beam to a transient pressure wave load

The dynamic behaviour of beam structures under pressure waves is investigated. The propagation of the bending waves under a moving single load is first studied for three types of beam: a Bernoulli-Euler beam, a beam with shear deflection and a Timoshenko beam. Then the responses of the Bernoulli-Euler and the Timoshenko beam are studied under moving pressure wave excitation. The results are presented as dynamic amplification factors (DAF). The influence of the load parameters (load shape, propagation speed, pressure wave duration, etc.) and the beam parameters (slenderness, damping, etc.) is discussed. The load shape (symmetrical, asymmetrical) and the propagation speed strongly influence the response. The results are compared with available approximate solutions for the corresponding lumped element, single degree of freedom model of the structure.