Three alternative versions of the theory for a Timoshenko–Ehrenfest beam on a Winkler–Pasternak foundation

This paper analyzes the free vibration frequencies of a beam on a Winkler–Pasternak foundation via the original Timoshenko–Ehrenfest theory, a truncated version of the Timoshenko–Ehrenfest equation, and a new model based on slope inertia. We give a detailed comparison between the three models in the context of six different sets of boundary conditions. In particular, we analyze the most common combinations of boundary conditions deriving from three typical end constraints, namely the simply supported end, clamped end, and free end. An interesting intermingling phenomenon is presented for a simply-supported (S-S) beam together with proof of the ‘non-existence’ of zero frequencies for free-free (F-F) and simply supported-free (S-F) beams on a Winkler–Pasternak foundation.