CIV340

MOCK EXAM PAPER CIV340

TIME: 2 hours
Please answer all 2 questions Q1-Q2.

CIV340 1
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Q1)

Given the Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE)

d2
w(x) = b0 x4 (Q1.1)
dx2
for the deflection w(x) where b0 = const > 0 being independent on x.

a) Determine a Fundamental System, i.e. a complete set of Fundamental Solutions of the ho-
mogeneous problem (i.e. b0 = 0 in (Q1.1)). (5 marks)

b) Determine any particular solution w p (x) fulfilling the inhomogeneous problem (Q1.1) (i.e.
with the nonzero right-hand side of (Q1.1)). (5 marks)

Hint: You can determine an easy particular integral of (Q1.1) by twice integrating (Q1.1) with
respect to x and putting all integration constants equal to zero.

c) Give the General Solution of the inhomogeneous problem (Q1.1) which has the form
w(x) = wh (x) + w p (x) where wh (x) is the Complementary Function consisting of a linear com-
bination of fundamental solutions determined in a), and w p (x) is any particular solution (particular
integral) determined in b). (5 marks)

Given now the ODE (Q1.1) together with the two Boundary Conditions (BCs)

w(x = 0) = 0 (Q1.2)

dw
(x = L) = 0 (Q1.3)
dx
(where L > 0).

d) Solve the Boundary Value Problem (BVP) defined by the ODE (Q1.1), and the BCs (Q1.2),
(Q1.3) by using the general solution for w(x) derived in c) and taking into account the BCs. (10 marks)

e) Determine the value x0 with 0 ≤ x0 ≤ L, for which w(x) takes an extremal value and deter-
mine this extremal deflection w(x0 ). (10 marks)

f) Sketch the deflection w(x) for b0 > 0 for 0 < x < L. (5 marks)

CIV340 2 CONTINUE
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Q2)

Given the Partial Differential Equation (PDE)

∂ ∂2
u(x,t) = 2 u(x,t) (Q2.1)
∂t ∂x
describing the time evolution of the concentration u(x,t) of diffusing particles.

a) Make the separation substitution u(x,t) = v(t)w(x) and give the Eigenvalue Problems (EVPs)
for v(t) and w(x). (10 marks)

b) Determine the complete sets of eigenfunctions for both EVPs and give their general solutions
wλ (x) and vλ (t) (linear combinations of the determined eigenfunctions) for non-zero eigenvalue λ 6= 0. (10 marks)

Hint: An eigenvalue problem defined by a differential operator of nth order (n = 1, 2, ..) has a
set of n different linear independent eigenfunctions.

Further to the PDE (Q2.1), the following two Boundary Conditions (BCs) are given (where
L > 0)
u(x = 0,t) = 0 (Q2.2)
∂2
u(x = L,t) = 0 (Q2.3)
∂ x2
The modal expansion of the defection (solution of the BVP) u(x,t) has then the form
∞
u(x,t) = ∑ vn (t)wn (x)
n=1

where vn (t) are the modal amplitudes, and wn (x) the eigenmodes.

c)
(i) Determine the admissible eigenvalues λn 6= 0 by taking into account that wλ (x) must fulfill the BCs
(Q2.2), (Q2.3). (10 marks)

Hint to (i): Entering eigenfunction wλ (x) determined in b) into the BCs (Q2.2) and (Q2.3)
yields a linear homogeneous 2 × 2 equation system of the form

~ = ~0
B(λ ) · C (Q2.4)

The condition of vanishing determinant Det{B(λ )} = 0 is the characteristic equation to determine the
~ n 6= ~0 of (Q2.4) exist.
admissible eigenvalues λn 6= 0 for which non-trivial (non-zero) solutions C

(ii) Determine the eigenfunctions (eigenmodes) wn (x) = wλn (x), by determining the non-trivial
~ n 6= ~0 of the homogeneous equation system (Q2.4)
solutions C

~ n = ~0
B(λn ) · C

for the admissible eigenvalues λn 6= 0. (10 marks)

(iii) Sketch the first three eigenmodes w1 (x), w2 (x), w3 (x) referring to λ1 , λ2 , λ3 for 0 ≤ x ≤ L.
(10 marks)

(iv) Determine the modal amplitudes vn (t) = vλn (t) to the admissible eigenvalues λn 6= 0. (10 marks)

CIV340 3 END OF PAPER