Summary
This work details a computational model to of a rod to determine the dynamical behavior subject to non-conservative loads. The equilibrium equations and compatibility conditions of space-time continuity along with the constitutive law of a slender rod is derived following the Kirchhoff’s approach and solved together to determine the kinetics of the rod. A case of Beck’s column with follower force is examined computationally. The model is benchmarked for the critical buckling load which initiates limit cycle oscillations in the presence of hydrodynamic drag. The effect of a nonlinear softening constitutive law on the frequency response is determined as a function of parameters in the softening nonlinearity.
