Alternative approach for the derivation of an eigenvalue problem for a Bernoulli-Euler beam carrying a single in-span elastic rod with a tip-mounted mass

Many vibrating mechanical systems from the real life are modeled as combined dynamical systems consisting of beams to which spring-mass secondary systems are attached. In most of the publications on this topic, masses of the helical springs are neglected. In a paper (Cha et al. 2008) published recently, the eigencharacteristics of an arbitrary supported Bernoulli-Euler beam with multiple in-span helical spring-mass systems were determined via the solution of the established eigenvalue problem, where the springs were modeled as axially vibrating rods. In the present article, the authors used the assumed modes method in the usual sense and obtained the equations of motion from Lagrange Equations and arrived at a generalized eigenvalue problem after applying a Galerkin procedure. The aim of the present paper is simply to show that one can arrive at the corresponding generalized eigenvalue problem by following a quite different way, namely, by using the so-called "characteristic force" method. Further, parametric investigations are carried out for two representative types of supporting conditions of the bending beam.