MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

VIBRATION CONTROL
UNDAMPED DYNAMIC VIBRATION
ABSORBERS

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this lecture, you should be able to:
Understand the differences between vibration dampers,
vibration isolators and dynamic vibration absorbers.
Appreciate the merits and limitations of dynamic vibration
absorbers in vibration control practice.
Design dynamic vibration absorbers to required
specifications for vibration control purposes.

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

INTRODUCTION
A machine or system may experience excessive vibration
if it is acted upon by a force whose excitation frequency is
close to the natural frequency of the machine or system.
The vibration could be reduced either by eliminating the
force; or by changing the mass or stiffness of the system so
as to move its natural frequency away from the excitation
frequency.
Another way to reduce the vibration is by the use of
dynamic vibration absorber, which is simply another
spring-mass system attached to the original system.

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Mechanical Vibrations

UNDAMPED DYNAMIC VIBRATION

ABSORBER
Let the combination K, M be
the schematic representation of
the machine under consideration,
with the force P0 sin t acting
on it.
The vibration absorber consists
of a comparatively small
vibratory system k, m attached
to the main mass M .

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

UNDAMPED DYNAMIC VIBRATION

ABSORBER (cont.)
The natural frequency k / m of the attached absorber is
chosen to be equal to the frequency of the disturbing force
.
It will be proven that the main mass M does not vibrate at
all, and that the small system k, m vibrates in such a way
that its spring force is at all instants equal and opposite to
P0 sin t .
Thus there is no net force acting on M and therefore the
main mass does not vibrate.

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION
The equation of motions are:

Mx1 K k x1 kx2 P0 sin t

mx2 k x2 x1 0

(1)

The forced vibration of this system will be of the form:

x1 a1 sin t
x2 a2 sin t

(2)

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

Inserting Eq. (2) into Eq. (1), we obtain:

K k a1 ka2 P0

ka1 m k a2 0
2

(3)

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

In dimensionless form, Eq. (3) becomes:
2

1
a1 k a2 xst
K 2
K
n

2
a1 a2 1 2

a

(4)

xst

P0
staticdeflectionof main system
K

k
naturalfrequency of absorber
m

K
naturalfrequency of main system
M

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

Solving for

a1

and

a2

, we have:
2
1 2
a
a1

xst 2
k 2 k
1 2 1 2
a K n K

(5)

a2
1

xst 2
k 2 k
1 2 1 2
a K n K
The amplitude a1 of the main mass is zero when the
numerator 1 2 / a2 is zero; this occurs when the excitation
frequency equals the natural frequency of the absorber.

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

The natural frequencies of the 2 degrees-of-freedom
system with the absorber in place are the values of such
that the denominator of Eq. (5) is zero.
The ratio m / M defines the size of the damper as
compared to the size of the main system.
a / n is the ratio of the natural frequency of the
absorber to the natural frequency of the original system.
The roots of the denominator of Eq. (5) are:

2
4
2

1
n

(6)

2
2
a
2

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

For the case a , the first factor of the denominator of
Eq. (5) is zero, and the equation reduces to
a2

P
K
xst 0
k
k

(7)

With the main mass standing still and the damper mass
having a motion P0 / k , the force in the damper spring
varies as P0 sint which is actually equal and opposite to
the external force.
These relations are true for any value of the ratio / n .
The addition of an absorber has not much reason unless the
original system is in resonance or at least near it.

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

Consider the case of a n and
Eq. (5) therefore becomes:

k / m K / M or k / K m / M

2
1 2
a

x1

sint
2
2
xst

1
1

2
2
a
a

x2
1

sint
2
2
xst

1
1
2
2

a
a

(8)

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

When equated to zero the denominator of Eq. (8) is a
quadratic equation in 2 / a2 which necessarily has two
roots.
Thus for two values of the external frequencies both
denominators of Eq. (8) becomes zero and consequently
x1 and x2 becomes infinitely large.
These two frequencies are the resonant or natural
frequencies of the system.
The natural frequencies are therefore:
2

2
1
4
a 2

(9)

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Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

The relation given in Eq. (9) is shown graphically in the

above figure.

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

EQUATIONS OF MOTION (cont.)

The main results of Eq. (8) is shown graphically in the

above figure for a value of 0.2 .

MEMB443

Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 1
A 200 kg machine is attached to a spring of stiffness 4x105
N/m. During operation the machine is subjected to a
harmonic excitation of magnitude 500 N and frequency 50
rad/s. Design an undamped vibration absorber such that
the steady-state amplitude of the primary mass is zero and
the steady-state amplitude of the absorber is less than 2
mm.

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 1 (cont.)
The steady-state amplitude of the machine is zero when the
absorber is tuned to the excitation frequency. Therefore:
k
a
m

When this occurs, the steady-state amplitude of the

absorber mass is given by Eq. (6).
P0
500
0.002 m , therefore k
2.5 10 5 N/m
k
0.002

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 1 (cont.)
Using the minimum allowable stiffness, the required
absorber mass is:
2.5 105
m 2
100 kg
2
a
50
k

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 2
What are the natural frequencies of the system of Example
1 with the absorber in place.

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 2 (cont.)
The mass ratio is given by:
100/ 200 0.5
The natural frequency of the original system is:
4 105
n
44.72 rad/s
200

The natural frequency of the absorber is:

2.5 105
a
50 rad/s
100

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 2 (cont.)
The natural frequencies of the 2 degrees-of-freedom
system with the absorber in place are given in Eq. (6).

2
4
2

1
n

a
2

a
m

and
M
n

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Mechanical Vibrations

EXAMPLE 2 (cont.)
Inserting the values of , anda into this equation, we
obtain the two natural frequencies:

1 32.7 rad/s and 2 68.4 rad/s