Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
Certain elastic systems may not only vibrate freely at proper (non-zero) natural frequencies, but may also move as rigid bodies. Such systems have “rigid body” modes which behave like principal modes corresponding to zero natural frequencies. These modes may be disregarded in the series representation of static distortions of such systems but must be taken into account in the representation of forced vibrations.
This note is concerned with the series representation of receptances of certain simple systems of this type, namely strings, bars, shafts and beams. These systems were discussed in reference 1, but there the rigid body modes were omitted. As the matter appears to raise some points of interest, a discussion of it seems to be called for. A similar analysis to that presented here may be applied to other unsupported, or partially supported systems, such as an unsupported plate.