School of Mathematics, Computer Science and

Engineering

EE2410: Mechatronics
Part 2 Examination

26th May 2017 14:30-16:30

Answer ONLY 3 of the 4 questions

Division of marks: 25 each question

BEGIN EACH QUESTION ON A FRESH PAGE

Number of answer books to be provided: One

Calculators permitted: Casio FX-83/85 MS/ES/GT+ ONLY
Examination duration: 120 minutes
Dictionaries permitted: None
Additional materials: None
Can question paper be removed from the examination room: No

External Examiner: Professor Mehrdad Zangeneh

Internal Examiner: Dr. M. Tomas-Rodríguez

Page 1 of 4
Question 1

In Figure Q1, a mass m is attached to a wall with a spring and a damper. The spring has
a spring constant k and the damper has a damping constant c such that k > c2/4m. An
external force f(t) is acting on the mass as shown. The translation of the mass from its
equilibrium position due to the input signal f(t) is denoted by y(t) as the output signal.

Figure Q1

a) Assuming that the system is at rest at t = 0 and f(t) changes from 0 to 1 as a step
input starting at t = 0, what would be the resulting y(t)? Sketch the solution as
a function of time.

[5 Marks]

If the oscillating mass m in Figure Q1 is 0.1 kg, c = 0.05 Ns/cm and k = 0.1 N/cm,

b) Determine the transfer function of the system for a generic input f(t)
[5 Marks]

c) Determine the poles of the oscillating mass.

[5 Marks]

d) Explain how the poles move if one changes k and c, respectively. Can the poles
end up in the right half plane?
[5 Marks]
e) If the external force is harmonic and of the form, f(t)=Asin(t), determine the
frequency at which the system will experience resonance.
[5 Marks]

Page 2 of 4
Question 2

a) A mass m is attached to a spring with spring constant k and is free to slide along a
horizontal frictionless surface. At time t=0, the spring-mass system is stretched by
an amount x0 from the equilibrium position and is released so that at t=0, v0 =0.

i) What is the period of oscillation of the mass?

[6 Marks]

ii) Derive an expression for the mass position, x(t)

[6 Marks]

iii) What is the velocity of the mass when it first comes back to
the equilibrium position?
[13 Marks]

Question 3

a) Find the Boolean expression for the outputs F and G on the following circuit:

[10 Marks]

b) Find the expressions of the outputs D0-D7. Also, find the corresponding truth table
for the following logic circuit:

[15 Marks]

Page 3 of 4
Question 4

a) Minimise the following problems using the Karnaugh maps method.

Z = f(A,B,C) = + B + AB + AC

Z = f(A,B,C) = B + B + BC + A

[10 Marks]

b) Find the simplification of the following Boolean function F:

F(A, B, C, D) = ∑(0, 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10)

[15 Marks]

Page 4 of 4