The springs do not connect to the ends. Think of it as an infinite number of springs spaced close together--kind of like a beam on elastic foundation. Except in this case the springs are parallel to its length.
Thank you for responding.
What has me confused is that the axial force is not constant throughout the member. The springs pull load away from the member along its length based on the displacement of each point.
The external axial force will not be the same at both ends of the member.
So the...
How can I formulate an element stiffness matrix for an axial force member (2 d.o.f. only) that has continuous in-line springs attached along its length? (These are not perpendicular to the beam. They are parallel).
I'm having trouble writing a displacement function that describes the...
