Dynamic Characteristics of Partial Composite Beams

This paper is concerned with the dynamic characteristics of composite beams with partial shear connections. The governing equations of motion for partial composite beams are derived from the one-dimensional partial composite beam theory. By solving the corresponding characteristic equation, the natural frequencies and modal shapes for simple partial composite beams are obtained. The orthogonality condition between the natural modes is utilized to decouple the equations of motion. Closed-form solution for the simple partial composite beam subjected to a moving load is derived by the modal superposition method. Key parameters that govern the fundamental frequency and deflection impact factor of simple partial composite beams are identified. Numerical results show that the former is controlled by the composite connection and section combination parameters, and the latter by the fundamental frequency ratio. It was observed that the time-history response of a partial composite beam may differ significantly from that of a full composite beam in terms of amplitude, period, and overall shape, depending on the composition connection.