An inverse dynamical problem for connected beams

This paper deals with a dynamical inverse problem for a composite beam formed by two connected beams. The vibrations of the composite beam are governed by a differential system where a coupling takes place between longitudinal and bending motions. In this paper, we neglect bending motions and we only deal with the longitudinal motions. These motions are governed by a two-by-two second order system coupled in the lower order terms by the shearing stiffness coefficient, which models the connection between the two beams and which contains direct information on the integrity of the system. We prove that the shearing stiffness coefficient can be reconstructed from the frequency response function of the system evaluated at one end of the beam.