Application of spline collocation method in analysis of beam and continuous beam

In this paper, spline collocation method (SCM) is successfully extended to solve the generalized problems of beam structures. The spline functions in SCM are re-formulated by finite difference method in a systematical way that is easily understood by engineers. The manipulation of SCM is further simplified by the introduction of quintic table so that the matrix-vector governing equation can be easily formulated to solve the weighting coefficients. SCM is first examined by the problems of a generalized single-span beam undergoing various types of loadings and boundary conditions, and it is then extended to the problems of continuous beam with multiple spans. By comparing with available analytical results, differential quadrature method (DQM), if any, excellent accuracy in deflection is achieved.