Consider the structure shown in Figure Q1. The columns are massless. The
structure is connected to a dashpot with a damping constant, c. The columns
have EI = 1 kNm² and GA = ? and are axially inextensible.
a) Find the damping constant, c, such that the third peak displacement is
one fourth of the first peak displacement under free vibrations ($U_{max,3} =$
0.25 $U_{max, 1}$).
[10 marks]
b) Verify whether the upper column, with flexural strength of 16 kNm, can
withstand the actions generated by the external force P(t) described in
Table Q1. Assume a linear variation of the force varies between the
datapoints presented in the table.
[10 marks]
Make appropriate assumptions for any missing information and state them
clearly in your solutions.
