Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
Vibration characteristics of a linearly tapered cantilever beam and a shaft have been studied by using the lumped inertia force method; a linear displacement distribution is considered over each element. The results are compared with some of those in the literature and with experimental observations. These comparisons indicate that, even using a few elements, a reasonable degree of accuracy can be obtained in the natural frequency, although it is essential to consider more elements in order to determine mode shape accurately.