Abstract: The dynamics of a rotating cantilever beam is investigated by the B-spline interpolation method. The longitudinal deformation and the transverse deformation of the flexible beam are considered and the coupling term of the deformation which is caused by transverse deformation is included in the expression of longitudinal deformation. The approach of B-spline interpolation is used to describe the deformation of the flexible beam. The rigid-flexible coupling dynamic equations are established via employing the second kind of Lagrange’s equation, and a software package for the dynamic simulation of the rotating cantilever beam is developed. To validate the method, dynamic simulations are carried out. The simulation results of the B-spline interpolation method are compared with the ones of the assumed mode method and the finite element method. Simulation results demonstrate that the B-spline interpolation will be more potential for popularizing in the field of multibody system dynamics.

Key words: B-spline interpolation, Cantilever beam, Dynamics, Natural frequencies