Experiments on the Dynamic Response of a Flexible Strip to Moving Loads

Experimental findings are reported on the dynamic response of a flexible strip to moving loads traveling at an oblique angle to its edges. The strip is wrapped under tension around a pair of supporting pressurized cylinder halves. The moving loads are applied to the flexible strip at the gap between the two cylinder halves. A capacitance displacement transducer measures the dynamic response of the strip, which is shown in isometric perspective for various boundary conditions. It is shown that waves on the strip created by the moving loads can be eliminated by providing a hydrodynamic air film support to the flexible strip in the vicinity of the moving loads. Experiments demonstrate that response to the loads along the edges of the strip differs from that near its center, which is to be expected because of the reflection of flexural waves from the boundaries of the strip.