MECH ENG 3028

Dynamics & Control II Vibrations

Assignment 1
To be submitted to the Dynamics & Control II (Vibrations) submission box by 5pm
on 22nd August, 2012
1.

A suspended block of 32- kg is attached to a spring of stiffness 3 kN/m, and mass

9- kg.
a) Determine the un-damped natural frequency of this system in Hertz.
b) If the un-damped displacement amplitude is measured to be 1 mm, what is the
acceleration amplitude of the block?
The block is subjected to a periodic force of
viscous damper with c = 200 N.s/m

10

10 (N) and attached to a

c) What is the steady-state amplitude for the blocks vibration?

d) What is the phase difference between the driving force and resultant vibration
at steady state, and which oscillation leads the other?
e) How much mass would the block have to have to create a phase difference of
/2 radians?
(20 marks)
2. For an un-damped mass-spring system with mass = 2 kg, stiffness = 300 N/mm,
a) Determine the natural frequency and the period of the free motion of the
system.
b) Determine the amplitude of displacement A, and the phase shift for the
initial conditions x0 = -2 mm, v0 = +340 mm/s.
c) If damping is added to the system to create a mass-spring-damper system,
determine the critical damping coefficient.
d) For damping ratios of 0.2 and 1, calculate the time at which the amplitude
envelope of the displacement will be less than 1 mm.
e) Using Matlab, and the initial conditions from part b), plot on the same fully
labeled graph the displacement of the mass if the system is: un-damped; for a
damping ratio of 0.2; and for critical damping.
(20 marks)
3. A single-degree-of-freedom mass-spring-damper system is observed during its
free vibration and the amplitude decays by 30 dB from its initial value after 12
cycles. Calculate the viscous damping coefficient and the damping ratio if the
mass of the system is 4 kg and the spring stiffness is 200 N/mm. (20 marks)
4. A rolling soil compactor consists of a roller of mass m and radius r that is
connected to the prime mover by a spring of stiffness k as shown in the figure.
(20 marks)
a) Using the energy method, derive an expression for the un-damped natural
frequency of the system, assuming that the cylinder is free to roll on the rough
horizontal surface without slipping. Also assume that the prime mover is
effectively a rigid structure.

b) The roller has a mass of 240 kg, and has its mass distributed as shown in the
figure. If the system is observed to vibrate with a period of 3.6 s, what is the
stiffness of the spring?

x
r

k
m

3-D rendering courtesy of Colin Kestell.

5. Consider the mechanical system shown below. Let be the clockwise angular
displacement of the pulley from the system's equilibrium position. Assume that
there is negligible friction between the mass and the structure, and negligible
friction in the pulley bearings. Use the energy method to determine an expression
for the natural frequency of the system as a function of m, k, Jp and r.
(20 marks)

6. A clamped-pinned steel beam of length L = 4.5 m and flexural rigidity EI = 260

kN.m2 has a block of mass 8 kg dropped onto it the mid-point of the beam (i.e. a =
b in the diagram below), from a height h = 4 mm as shown in the figure below.
Calculate the frequency, amplitude and phase of the ensuing free vibrations, if the
moment of impact can be considered as t = 0.
(20 marks)
You may assume: The beam has negligible mass; the block and beam maintain
contact during the vibration; negligible damping; the block is small compared to
the length of the beam (beam curvature is negligible underneath the block).

7.

BONUS QUESTION
(+10 marks):
A pendulum is comprised of a thin rod of length 1.2 m and negligible mass, and
small spherical ball of mass m = 4.0 kg
The natural frequency for small amplitude oscillations of this system is easily
determined from equations derived in the lecture notes.
By ANY means available, determine for what amplitude oscillation (i.e. max) the
derived formula would be in error by ~ 5%.