The Ritz method is widely used for the solutions of problems in structural mechanics, especially eigenvalue problems where the free vibration frequencies or buckling loads are sought. It is well known that the method yields upper bounds for these eign...
The Ritz method is widely used for the solutions of problems in structural mechanics, especially eigenvalue problems where the free vibration frequencies or buckling loads are sought. It is well known that the method yields upper bounds for these eignvalues, and that convergence to exact eigenvalues will occur if proper admissible functions are used to represent the displacements (eigenfunctions). In this paper the method is studied for the problem of free vibrations of a cantilever beam. Convergence of the eigenfunctions and their second and thirf derivatives (i.e., bending moments and shear forces) are examined.