Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

ME 3455: Dynamics and Vibrations

Fall 2018

Instructor: Prof. Abhishek Kumar

Office: 067 Lake Hall, Tel: 617-373-5557, Email: a.kumar@northeastern.edu
Section 1: MWR 4:35 pm-5:40 pm, 309 Kariotis Hall
Section 2: MWR 10:30 am-11:35 am, 108 West Village H
Prof. Yongmin Liu
Office: 267 Snell, Tel: 617-373-4457, Email: y.liu@northeastern.edu
Section 3: MWR 1:35-2:40 pm, 11 Kariotis Hall
Office Hours: Prof. Kumar: Mon. 3-4 pm, Wed and Thur. 11:45-1:15 pm or by appointment
Prof. Liu: Mon. 10:30 am-noon, Wed. 3pm-4:30 pm, or by appointment.
TA: TBD

Required Textbook:
Bedford, A. and Fowler, W., Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, 5th Ed., Prentice-Hall, NJ, 2008.
Useful Books and References:
1. Hibbeler, R. C., Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, 10th Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
2. Rao, S. S., Mechanical Vibrations, 5th Ed., Pearson Education Inc., NJ, 2011.
Course Catalog Description:
ME 3455: Dynamics and Vibrations (4 credits).
Covers kinematics of rigid bodies in general plane motion and mass moments of inertia. Examines
kinetics of rigid bodies using force-mass-acceleration, work and energy, and impulse and momentum.
Explores continued development of problem-solving ability in dynamics, free and forced vibration of
undamped and damped one-degree-of-freedom systems. Topics includes viscous and non-viscous
damping, support motion, rotational unbalance, vibration isolation, vibration measuring instruments,
general periodic excitation, and general excitation using numerical methods. Laboratory experiments and
written reports are required.
Prereq: ME 2350: Engineering Mechanics and Design, or CIVE 2221: Statics and Strength of Materials.
Coreq: ME 3456: Lab for ME 3455.
Course Objectives:
The primary objectives of this course are to develop in the student:
1. The ability to apply well-understood principles of dynamics in a logical and consistent manner to the
analysis and solution of dynamics problems.
2. The ability to analyze planar kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies.
3. The ability to understand the fundamental concepts of mechanical vibrations, and use of established
response characteristics of variety of lumped-parameters (discrete) dynamic systems.
4. The ability to demonstrate sound and rational approaches to the solution of engineering problems in
undamped and damped vibrations, support motions, rotational unbalance and vibration isolation, as
well as gain physical insights into the vibration measurement instruments.

ME 3455 Syllabus, Fall 2018 1

Attendance:
Regular and punctual attendance at all class sessions is a student obligation, and each student is
responsible for all the work, including tests and written work, in all class sessions. No right or privilege
exists that permits a student to be absent from any given number of class sessions except for valid and
documented reasons (e.g., medical, or team sport absence). Students are expected to wait for 10 minutes if
the professor is late for class.
Trace:
Participation in the Teacher Rating and Course Evaluation is an expectation of all students.
Academic Integrity:
“Essential to the mission of Northeastern University is the commitment to the principles of intellectual
integrity. […] Northeastern University views academic dishonesty as one of the most serious offenses that
a student can commit while in college. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism,
unauthorized collaboration, participation in academically dishonest activities, and facilitating academic
dishonesty.” [Source: www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/cat0910-014-024.pdf]. Visit www.osccr.neu.edu
for a full description of these policies and procedures. Each student should read this policy annually to be
apprised of this critical information.
Grading:
Final grades for ME 3455 are based on accumulated points for homework, quizzes and exams, out of 100
points possible. Minimum points for ME 3455 grades: A (91), A- (88), B+ (84), B (80), B- (76), C+ (72)
C (68), C- (64), D+(60), D (56), D- (52). Grades of Incomplete (I Grades) will only be given in unusual
circumstances at the discretion of the instructor.
Assignments Weighting
Homework Assignments 20 %
Quizzes 5%
3 In-class Exams (2 midterms and 1 final) 20%+20%+ 35%
Total 100 %

Homework:
Representative problems, including both hand-in and online problems, will be assigned. After the
specified due dates, NO homework assignments will be considered for grading unless there is a
documented acceptable reason (e.g., medical, or team sport absence). If you cannot attend the class, try to
mange to have your homework turned in on-time.

For online homework, your goal is to earn credit for each problem, by solving it correctly -- no partial
credit is awarded. However, you will be allowed up to five attempts to solve each problem. You are
strongly encouraged to keep the scratches/notes when solving the problems, in order to prepare for the
quizzes and exams.
Your ability to communicate technically is an essential professional skill. Therefore, not only will handed-
in problems be graded for approach and correctness, but clarity and readability will be critiqued.
Homework must be stapled together with the course name, section number, assignment number, and your
full name (family name, given name). Illustrating your problem, defining variables that you introduce,
and providing a few words of explanation and interpretation are all desirable. Handed-in problems that
meet neatness/ format/clarity guidelines are eligible for up to 10% bonus points, at grader or faculty
discretion.
You will need to use Excel, Matlab, Mathematica or other software in analyzing your lab data and also in
some homework assignments. These software packages are available in the College of Engineering or

ME 3455 Syllabus, Fall 2018 2

University computer laboratories. Students are required to familiarize themselves with these software
packages in due time. Some helpful Matlab references include:
1. Palm, Introduction to Matlab 6 for Engineers, McGraw Hill, 2001.
2. www.engin.umich.edu/group/ctm; www.math.mtu.edu/~msgocken/intro/intro.html.
3. www.math.ufl.edu/help/matlab-tutorial/.
Quizzes:
In-class quizzes will be given. All exams are closed book and notes, while two/three students will work as
a group on the quizzes.
Examinations:
A total of three in-class exams will be given. All exams are closed book and notes, except for a single-
side, 8.5x11 in. formula sheet. There will be no makeup exams except for a documented acceptable
reason (e.g., medical, or team sport absence). Prompt notification is required in advance for missed
exams.

Adjudication of Grades:
Each student has one calendar week (7 days) from the day from which a graded homework assignment,
quiz or exam is returned to adjudicate any issues related to the grade. After this time the grade stands.
The instructor has the right to completely review all materials in the assignment once it is returned for
adjudication.

On-line Course Activities:

The ME 3455 on-line course activities through BlackBoard (https://northeastern.blackboard.com/) will be
utilized for announcements, all lecture notes, assignments (and their solutions) as well as lecture
supplements. Students are expected to visit BlackBoard regularly for most recent updates and check their
emails on a daily basis.
Laboratory Sessions (ME 3456)
Each laboratory section will meet three times during the semester. You will receive a separate grade for
this one-credit laboratory course. You must register for this course separately. Attendance at the three
scheduled laboratory meetings is mandatory. Each lab will be conducted in small groups of approximately
4 students. However, each student is expected to write his/her own laboratory report and to submit it
through TurnitIn by midnight of the due date (typically three weeks after your section conducted the lab).
A 20 pt penalty will be assessed for any report up to 3 days late, 40 pts will be subtracted up to 7 days
late, and 60 pts will be subtracted thereafter.

Attendance: If a student is unable to attend the assigned laboratory section, for example due to serious
illness or religious observance, it is that student’s responsibility to inform the Teaching Assistant
immediately so that arrangements may be made to make up the lab with a different lab section while the
experiment is still available.
Lab #1: During the week of Sept. 17 in the Marino/Cabot Center. This lab involves the use of a machine
which projects tennis balls. This lab illustrates the effect of air resistance on the trajectories of the tennis
balls.

Lab #2: During the week of Oct. 15 in 57 RI. This lab involves uses of a Whitworth Quick Return
Mechanism and illustrates principles of rigid body kinematics.

Lab #3: During the week of Nov. 12 in 57 RI (Nov. 12 is Veteran’s day. We will postpone sections on
that day to the following Monday). This lab illustrates forced vibration induced by rotational unbalance.
Important Dates: Thursday, October 11, Midterm 1 (Chapters 13, 14, 15), and Thursday, November
15, Midterm 2 (Chapters 16, 17, 18)

ME 3455 Syllabus, Fall 2018 3

 Topical Course Outline and Contents:

Date Week # Chapters Topic HW Due HW Topic

9-5 W1 Chap 13 Position, velocity, acceleration (13.1)
9-6 Straight-line motion (13.2, 13.3)

9-10 W2 Angular motion (13.5)

9-12 Curvilinear motion (13.4, 13.6, 13.7)
9-13 Relative motion (13.8) HW 1 Chap 13

9-17 W3 Chap 14 Newton’s second law, Applications – Straight line

motion (14.1,14.2)
9-19 Applications – Normal and tangential components,
Polar and Cylindrical Coordinates (14.3,14.4)
9-20 Orbital Mechanics (14.5) HW 2 Chap 13

9-24 W4 Chap 15 Work and kinetic energy (15.1)

9-26 Work done by particular forces (15.2)
9-27 Potential energy and conservative force (15.3); HW 3 Chap 14
Relationships between force and Potential energy
(15.4)

10-1 W5 Chap 16 Principle of impulse and momentum (16.1)

10-3 Conservation of linear momentum and impacts
(16.2)
10-4 Angular momentum (16.3); Mass flows (16.4) HW 4 Chap 15

10-8 W6 Chap 17 NO CLASS (Columbus Day)

10-10 Types of Rigid Body Motion, Translation (17.1);
Rotation About a Fixed Axis (17.2)
10-11 Midterm 1 (HW1-HW4, Chap 13-15) HW 5 Chap 16

10-15 W7 Chap 17 Velocities in General Plane Motion (17.3)

10-17 Instant Center (17.4)
10-18 General Plane Motion: Accelerations (17.5) HW 6 Chap 17
(velocity)

10-22 W8 Chap 18 Examples

10-24 Mass Moments of Inertia (Appendix 18.)

ME 3455 Syllabus, Fall 2018 4

10-25 Momentum principles for a system of particles HW 7 Chap 17
(18.1) (acceleration)

10-29 W9 Examples
10-31 The planar equations of motion (18.2)
11-1 Chap 19 Work and Energy (19.1) HW 8 Chap 18

11-5 W10 Examples

11-7 Impulse and momentum (19.2)
11-8 Impacts (19.3) HW 9 Chap 19

11-12 W11 NO CLASS (Veterans’ Day)

11-14 Examples
11-15 Midterm 2 (Chap 16-18, HW5- HW8) HW 10 Chap 19

11-19 W12 Chap 21 Conservative systems (21.1)

11-21 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
11-22 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)

11-26 W13 Chap 21 Damped vibrations (21.2)

11-28 Examples
Forced vibrations (21.3)
11-29 HW 11 Chap 21

12-3 W14 Examples

12-5 Course Review (last day of class) HW 12 Chap 21
Note: the syllabus, the calendar, and other items are subject to update as the course proceeds.

ME 3455 Syllabus, Fall 2018 5