MCB3103 VIBRATIONS

May 2013 Semester

Assignment 2

1. A rigid block of mass M is mounted on four elastic supports, as shown in Figure A2-1. A mass
m drops from a height l and adheres to the rigid block without rebounding. If the spring
constant of each elastic support is k, find the natural frequency of vibration of the system
(a) without the mass m and (b) with the mass m. Also find the resulting motion of the
system in case (b).

Figure A2-1

2. A TV antenna tower is braced by four cables, as shown in Fig. A2-2. Each cable is under
tension and is made of steel with a cross-sectional area of 310-4 m2. The antenna tower
can be modeled as a steel beam of square section of side 25 mm for estimating its mass and
stiffness. Find the towers natural frequency of bending vibration about y-axis.

Figure A2-2

3. The free-vibration responses of an electric motor of weight 500N mounted on different

types of foundations are shown in Fig. A2-3. Identify the following each case: (i) the nature
of damping provided by the foundation, (ii) the spring constant and damping coefficient of
the foundation, and (iii) the undamped and damped natural frequencies of the electric
motor.

Figure A2-3

4. A torsional pendulum has a natural frequency of 200 cycles/min when vibrating in a

vacuum. The mass moment of inertia of the disc is 0.2 kg-m2. It is then immersed in oil and
its natural frequency is found to be 180 cycles/min. Determine the damping constant. If the
disc, when placed in oil, is given an initial displacement of 2, find its displacement at the
end of the first cycle.