Laplace-Time Domain Method for Computing Dynamic Response of Linear Systems to Arbitrary Intermittent Loadings

In evaluating of the response of linear systems to arbitrary intermittent loadings, traditional methods have been exclusively conducted in the time domain where the time resolution must be carefully chosen. In this paper, an accurate and efficient Laplace-time domain method is developed to perform the dynamic analysis of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems to arbitrary intermittent loadings. The proposed method is a Laplace-time domain approach in the sense that (1) for each individual nonzero segment of an intermittent loading, the computation for the corresponding response is carried out in the Laplace domain (complex plane) by using algebraic pole-residue operations, and (2) for the total response calculation that accounts for all segments of intermittent loadings, the principle of linear superposition is applied in the time domain. Three numerical examples ranging from single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) to 600-degree-of-freedom (DOF) systems are provided in this paper. Through numerical examples, this study demonstrates the superiority of the proposed method over traditional time-domain methods in terms of both accuracy and computational efficiency.