Abstract

This research presents an investigation into the linear and nonlinear vibrations of bio-inspired helicoidal composite (BIHC) beams under moving distributed loads. Reddy's third-order shear deformable theory, coupled with von Kármán strains, is utilised to formulate the equations of motion that describe the transient behaviour of the beams subjected to dynamic loads. By applying the Gram-Schmidt-Ritz method to solve these equations, accurate results with numerical stability can be obtained for various boundary conditions. Key factors, such as fibre orientation, load types, loading distance and velocity, boundary conditions, and others, which significantly influence the vibration of the beams, are considered. The investigation reveals that the strength of laminated composite beams is considerably improved when they are composed in the form of BIHC materials, as compared to general angle-ply laminates.