Using Line Continuum to Explain Work Principle Method for Structural Continuum Analysis

This work presents a new energy method that uses total work error functional. The new energy method was used to analyze a simply supported line continuum with one degree of freedom and two degrees of freedom deflection functions. Maximum central deflection, critical buckling load and fundamental natural frequency of the continuum were determined for the two cases of degrees of freedom. Obtained result indicates that deflection function of one degree of freedom is more efficient than the one of two degrees of freedom. On comparison with exact value, maximum percentage difference recorded by the two degree of freedom deflection function is 2.3%, and this corresponds to fundamental natural frequency. Both one degree and two degrees of freedom deflection functions gave 0% deference with exact data for central deflection and critical buckling load.