14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

Chapter 9: Vibration Control

Introduction
Vibration Nomograph and Vibration Criteria
Reduction of Vibration at the Source
Whirling of Rotating Shafts, Critical Speeds, Response of the System
Control of Vibration
Control of Natural Frequencies
Introduction of Damping
Vibration Isolation
Numerical Problems

Introduction
The acceptable levels of vibration must be known before one can quantify the levels to be
eliminated or reduced. The vibration nomograph and vibration criteria which indicate acceptable
levels of vibration are outlined at the beginning. The vibration to be eliminated or reduced can be in
the form of one or more forms of disturbance displacement, velocity, acceleration, and transmitted
force. The following methods are discussed to eliminate/reduce vibration at the source:
* Balancing of rotating machines single- and two-plane balancing.
* Controlling the response and stability of rotating shafts.
* Balancing of reciprocating engines.
* Reducing vibration caused by impacts due to clearances in the joints of machines and
mechanisms.
The following methods are discussed to reduce transmission of vibration from the source:
* Changing the natural frequency of the system when the forcing frequency cannot be altered.
* Introducing a power-dissipation mechanism by adding dashpots or viscoelastic materials.
* Designing an isolator which changes the stiffness/damping of the system.
* Using an active control technique.
* Designing a vibration absorber by adding an auxiliary mass to absorb the vibration energy of the
original mass.
There are numerous sources of vibration in an industrial environment: impact processes such as pile
driving and blasting; rotating or reciprocating machinery such as engines, compressors, and motors;
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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

transportation vehicles such as trucks, trains, and aircraft; the flow of fluids; and many others. The
presence of vibration often leads to excessive wear of bearings, formation of cracks, loosening of
fasteners, structural and mechanical failures, frequent and costly maintenance of machines,
electronic malfunctions through fracture of solder joints, and abrasion of insulation around electric
conductors causing shorts.
The occupational exposure of humans to vibration leads to pain, discomfort, and reduced efficiency.
Vibration can sometimes be eliminated on the basis of theoretical analysis. However, the
manufacturing costs involved in eliminating the vibration may be too high; a designer must
compromise between an acceptable amount of vibration and a reasonable manufacturing cost. In
some cases the excitation or shaking force is inherent in the machine. As seen earlier, even a
relatively small excitation force can cause an undesirably large response near resonance, especially
in lightly damped systems. In these cases, the magnitude of the response can be significantly
reduced by the use of isolators and auxiliary mass absorbers.
Vibration Nomograph and Vibration Criteria
The acceptable levels of vibration are often specified in terms of the response of an undamped
single-degree-of-freedom system undergoing harmonic vibration. The bounds are shown in a graph,
called the vibration nomograph, which displays the variations of displacement, velocity, and
acceleration amplitudes with respect to the frequency of vibration. For the harmonic motion,

 =  sin
 1
The velocity and accelerations are given by,
 =
  =
 cos
 = 2 cos
 2
 =
  =
  sin
 = 4     sin
 3
 is the circular frequency (rad/s), f is the linear frequency (Hz), and X is the amplitude of
displacement. The amplitudes of displacement (X), velocity (vmax) and acceleration (amax) are related
as,
 = 2 4
 = 4     = 2  5
By taking logarithms of Equations (4) and (5), we get the linear relations as follows:
ln  = ln2 + ln  6
ln  = ln  ln2 7
It can be seen that for a constant value of the displacement amplitude (X), equation (6) show that ln
f) as a straight line with slope +1. Similarly, for a constant value of the
vmax varies with ln (2
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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

f) as a straight line
acceleration amplitude (amax), equation (7) indicates the ln vmax varies with ln (2
with slope -1. These variations are shown as a nomograph in Figure 1. Thus every point on the
nomograph denotes a specific sinusoidal (harmonic) vibration.

Fig. 1 Vibration nomograph and vibration criteria

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

Since the vibration imparted to a human or machine is composed of many frequencies rarely of just
one frequency the root mean square values of x (t), v (t), and a (t) are used in the specification of
vibration levels.
The usual ranges of vibration encountered in different scientific and engineering applications are
given below:
1. Atomic vibrations: Frequency = 1012 Hz, displacement amplitude = 10-8 to 10-6 mm.
2. Microseisms or minor tremors of earths crust: Frequency = 0.1 to 1 Hz, displacement
amplitude = 10-5 to 10-3 mm. This vibration also denotes the threshold of disturbance of
optical, electronic, and computer equipments.
3. Machinery and building vibration: Frequency = 10 to 100 Hz, displacement amplitude =
0.01 to 1 mm. The threshold of human perception falls in the frequency range 1 to 8 Hz
4. Swaying of tall buildings: Frequency = 0.1 to 5 Hz, displacement amplitude = 10 to 1000
mm.
Vibration severity of machinery is defined in terms of the rms value of the vibration velocity in ISO
2372. The ISO definition identifies 15 vibration severity ranges in the velocity range 0.11 to 71
mm/s for four classes of machines: (1) small, (2) medium, (3) large, and (4) turbo-machine. The
vibration severity of class 3 machines, including large prime movers. In order to apply these
criteria, the vibration is to b measured on machine surfaces such as bearing caps in the frequency
range 10 1000 Hz.
ISO DP 4866 gives the vibration severity for whole-building vibration under blasting and steady-
stae vibration in the frequency range 1-100 Hz. For the vibration from blasting, the velocity is to be
measured at the building foundation nearest the blast, and for the steady-state vibration, the peak
vlocity is to be measured on the top floor. The limits given are 3-5 mm/s for threshold of damage
and 5-30 mm/s for minor damage.
The vibration limits recommended in ISO 2631 on human sensitivity to vibration are also shown in
Figure 1.
In the United States an estimated 8 million workers are exposed to either whole-body vibration or
segmented vibration to specific body parts. The whole-body vibration may be due to transmission
through a supporting structure such as the seat of a helicopter, and the vibration to specific body
parts may be due to work processes such as compacting, drilling, and chair-saw operations. Human
tolerance of whole-body vibration is found to be lowest in the 4-8 Hz frequency range. The
segmental vibration is found to cause localized stress injuries to different body parts at different
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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

frequencies as shown in Figure 2. In addition, the following effects have been observed at different
frequencies:
Motion sickness (0.1 1 Hz), blurring vision (2-20 Hz), speech disturbance (1-20 Hz), interference
with tasks (0.5 20 Hz), and after fatigue (0.2-15 Hz).

Fig. 2 Vibration frequency sensitivity of different parts of human body

C44: Helicopter Seat Vibration Reduction
The seat of a helicopter, with the pilot, weighs 1000 N and is found to have a static deflection of 10
mm under self weight. The vibration of the rotor is transmitted to the base of the seat as harmonic
motion with frequency 4 Hz and amplitude 0.2 mm. What is the level of vibration, amplitude of
velocity and acceleration felt by the pilot?

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

Reduction of Vibration at the Source

The first thing to be explored to control vibrations is to try to alter the source so that it produces less
vibration. This method may not always be feasible. Some examples of the sources of vibration that
cannot be altered are earthquake excitation, atmospheric turbulence, road roughness, and engine
combustion instability. On the other hand, certain sources such as unbalance in rotating or
reciprocating machines can be altered to reduce the vibrations. This can be achieved, usually, by
using either internal balancing or an increase in the precision of machine elements. The use of close
tolerances and better surface finish for machine parts (which have relative motion with respect to
one another) make the machine less susceptible to vibration. There may be economic and
manufacturing constraints on the degree of balancing that can be achieved or the precision with
which the machine parts can be made. Figure 3 shows the procedure for two-plane balancing,
considering the analysis of rotating and reciprocating machines in the presence of unbalance as well
as the means of controlling the vibrations that result from unbalanced forces.

Fig. 3 Two-plane balancing

Whirling of Rotating Shafts
In the previous section, the rotor system the shaft as well as the rotating body was assumed to be
rigid. However, in many practical applications, such as turbines, compressors, electric motors, and
pumps, a heavy rotor is mounted on a lightweight, flexible shaft that is supported in bearings. There
will be unbalance in all rotors due to manufacturing errors. These unbalances as well as other
effects, such as the stiffness and damping of the shaft, gyroscopic effects, and fluid friction in
bearings, will cause a shaft to bend in a complicated manner at certain rotational speeds, known as
the whirling, whipping, or critical speeds. Whirling is defined as the rotation of the plane made by
the line of centers of the bearings and the bent shaft.

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

Equation of Motion:
Consider a shaft supported by two bearings and carrying a rotor or disc of mass m at the middle, as
shown in Figure 4. We shall assume that the rotor is subjected to a steady-state excitation due to
mass unbalance. The forces acting on the rotor are the inertia force due to the acceleration of the
mass center, the spring force due to the elasticity of the shaft, and the external and internal damping
forces.

Fig. 4 Shaft carrying a rotor Fig. 5 Rotor with eccentricity

Let O denote the equilibrium position of the shaft when balanced perfectly, as shown in Figure 5.
The shaft (line CG) is assumed to rotate with a constant angular velocity. During rotation, the
rotor deflects radially by a distance A = OC (in steady state). The rotor (disc) is assumed to have an
eccentricity a so that its mass center (center of gravity) G is at a distance a from the geometric
center, C. We use a fixed coordinate system (x and y fixed to the earth) with O as the origin for

describing the motion of the system. The angular velocity of the line OC & = ') , is known as the
'(

whirling speed and, in general, is not equal to. The equations of motion of the rotor (mass m) can
be written as coupled equation of motion, which describe the lateral vibration of the rotor, are
coupled and are dependent on the speed of the steady-state rotation of the shaft,. They are given
by,
+
 + ,- + ,
 + .
,-
/ = +
  cos
 01
+/ + ,- + ,/ + ./ ,-

= +
  sin

These equations can be represented as a single equation of motion as follows:
+ + ,- + , + . 2
,-  = +
  -3) 1
,
+ = +44 5  55, .6

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

. = 42044 5  4, 7/+

, = 
09 1+:206 ,52,20, 7 4/+
,- = 2009 5 5/ 1+:206 ,52,20, 7 4/+

= ;5040 06<9 95,2/ 5  4

 = =,,02,2/,
= 1240, >0 ,0 5 6 2/ ? 01 65+2, ,0 ;
 =
+ 2/
Critical Speeds:
A critical speed is said to exist when the frequency of the rotation of a shaft equals one of the
natural frequencies of the shaft. The undamped natural frequency of the rotor system (or critical
speed of the undamped system) can be obtained as,

@ = A
+

When the rotational speed is equal to this critical speed, the rotor undergoes large deflections, and
the force transmitted to the bearings can cause bearing failures. A rapid transition of the rotating
shaft through a critical speed is expected to limit the whirl amplitudes, while a slow transition
through the critical speed aids the development of large amplitudes.

Response of the System:

The response of the rotor is obtained by considering the following assumptions:
1. The excitation to be a harmonic force due to the unbalance of the rotor.
2. The internal damping to be negligible ,- = 0.
With this assumptions, Equation (1), becomes
+ + , + . = +
  -3) 2
The solution of Equation (2) can be expressed as,
 = ; CD)EF + G -3)C 3
 ;, I, G 01 are constants. Note that the first term on the right-hand side of Equation (3)
contains a decaying exponential term representing a transient solution and the second term
denotes a steady-state circular motion (whirl). By substituting the steady-state part of Equation
(3) into Equation (2), we can find the amplitude of the circular motion (whirl) as,

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

+
   
G= = 4
N. +
  + ,
 N1    + 2
01  :4 069 4,
,
2
= tanCO P Q = tanCO R S 5
. +
 1 
,

. ,
= ;
@ = A ; 01 =

@ + 2.+

C45: Whirl Amplitude of a Shaft Carrying an Unbalanced Rotor

A shaft, carrying a rotor of weight 60 kg and eccentricity 3 mm, rotates at 1,000 rpm. Determine
(a) The steady-state whirl amplitude and
(b) The maximum whirl amplitude during start-up conditions of the system. Assume the stiffness of
the shaft as 337.5 kN/m and the external damping ratio as 0.1.
Control of Vibration
In many practical situations, it is possible to reduce but not eliminate the dynamic forces that cause
vibrations. Several methods can be used to control vibrations. Among them, the following are
important:
1. Controlling the natural frequencies of the system and avoiding resonance under external
excitations.
2. Introduction of a damping or energy-dissipating mechanism -preventing excessive response
of the system, even at resonance.
3. Vibration isolators - reducing the transmission of the excitation forces from one part of the
machine to another.
4. Auxiliary mass neutralizer or vibration absorber - reducing the response of the system by the
addition of an. (This part will be studied under Unit III)
1. Control of Natural Frequencies
It is well known that whenever the frequency of excitation coincides with one of the natural
frequencies of the system, resonance occurs. The most prominent feature of resonance is a large
displacement. In most mechanical and structural systems, large displacements indicate undesirably
large strains and stresses, which can lead to the failure of the system.

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

Hence in any system resonance conditions must be avoided. In most cases, the excitation frequency
cannot be controlled, because it is imposed by the functional requirements of the system or
machine. We must concentrate on controlling the natural frequencies of the system to avoid
resonance. The natural frequency of a system can be changed by varying either the mass m or the
stiffness k. In many practical cases, however, the mass cannot be changed easily, since its value is
determined by the functional requirements of the system. For example, the mass of a flywheel on a
shaft is determined by the amount of energy it must store in one cycle. Therefore, the stiffness of
the system is the factor that is most often changed to alter its natural frequencies. For example, the
stiffness of a rotating shaft can be altered by varying one or more of its parameters, such as
materials or the number and location of support points (bearings).
2. Introduction of Damping or energy-dissipating mechanism
Although damping is disregarded so as to simplify the analysis, especially in finding the natural
frequencies, most systems possess damping to some extent. The presence of damping is helpful in
many cases. In systems such as automobile shock absorbers and many vibration-measuring
instruments, damping must be introduced to fulfill the functional requirements.
If the system undergoes forced vibration, its response or amplitude of vibration tends to become
large near resonance if there is no damping. The presence of damping always limits the amplitude
of vibration. If the forcing frequency is known, it may be possible to avoid resonance by changing
the natural frequency of the system. However, the system or the machine may be required to operate
over a range of speeds, as in the case of a variable speed electric motor or an internal combustion
engine. It may not be possible to avoid resonance under all operating conditions. In such cases, we
can introduce damping into the system to control its response, by the use of structural materials
having high internal damping, such as cast iron or laminated or sandwich materials.
In some structural applications, damping is introduced through joints. For example, bolted and
riveted joints, which permit slip between surfaces, dissipate more energy compared to welded
joints, which do not permit slip. Hence a bolted or riveted joint is desirable to increase the damping
of the structure. However, bolted and riveted joints reduce the stiffness of the structure, produce
debris due to joint slip, and cause fretting corrosion. In spite of this, if a highly damped structure is
desired, bolted or riveted joints should not be ignored.
Use of Viscoelastic Materials: The equation of motion of a single-degree-of-freedom system with
internal damping, under harmonic excitation V = VW  -3) , can be expressed as
+
 + .1 + 2
= VW  -3)
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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

, is called the loss factor (or loss coefficient), which is defined as
Y/2 =06/ 12442:1 1<206 1 ,/,9 5 +502, 124:9,+0/120
= =
Y Z
2+<+ 420 06/ 20 ,/,9
The amplitude of the response of the system at resonance 
=
@  is given by
VW VW
=
. =
Since the stiffness is proportional to the Youngs modulus (k = aE; a = constant)
The viscoelastic materials have larger values of the loss factor and hence are used to provide
internal damping. When viscoelastic materials are used for vibration control, they are subjected to
shear or direct strains. In the simplest arrangement, a layer of viscoelastic material is attached to an
elastic one. In another arrangement, a viscoelastic layer is sandwiched between the elastic layers.
This arrangement is known as constrained layer damping.
Damping tapes, consisting of thin metal foil covered with a viscoelastic adhesive, are used on
existing vibrating structures. A disadvantage with the use of viscoelastic materials is that their
properties change with temperature, frequency, and strain. A material with the highest value of (E)
gives the smallest resonance amplitude. Since the strain is proportional to the displacement x and
the stress is proportional to Ex, the material with the largest value of the loss factor will be subjected
to the smallest stresses.
Table 1 Values of loss coefficient for some materials
Material Loss Factor ()
Polystyrene 2.0
Hard rubber 1.0
Fiber mats with matrix 0.1
Cork 0.13 0.17
Aluminum 1 X 10-4
Iron and steel 2- 6 X 10-4
Table 2 The damping ratios obtainable with different types of construction/arrangement
Types of Construction/ Equivalent Viscous
Arrangement Damping Ratio (%)
Welded construction 14
Bolted construction 3 10
Steel frame 56
Unconstrained viscoelastic layer on steel-concrete girder 45
Constrained viscoelastic layer on steel-concrete girder 5-8
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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

3. Vibration Isolation
Vibration isolation is a procedure by which the undesirable effects of vibration are reduced.
Basically, it involves the insertion of a resilient member (or isolator) between the vibrating mass (or
equipment or payload) and the source of vibration so that a reduction in the dynamic response of the
system is achieved under specified conditions of vibration excitation. An isolation system is said to
be active or passive depending on whether or not external power is required for the isolator to
perform its function. A passive isolator consists of a resilient member (stiffness) and an energy
dissipater (damping). Examples of passive isolators include metal springs, cork, felt, pneumatic
springs, and elastomer (rubber) springs. Figure 4 shows undamped spring mount, damped spring
mount and a typical spring and pneumatic mounts that can be used as passive isolators. An active
isolator is comprised of a servomechanism with a sensor, signal processor, and actuator.

Fig. 4 (a) Undamped spring mount; (b) damped spring mount; (c) pneumatic rubber mount.
Vibration isolation can be used in two types of situations. In the first type, the foundation or base of
a vibrating machine is protected against large unbalanced forces. In the second type, the system is
protected against the motion of its foundation or base.
The first type of isolation is used when a mass (or a machine) is subjected to a force or excitation.
For example, in forging and stamping presses, large impulsive forces act on the object to be formed
or stamped. These impacts are transmitted to the base or foundation of the forging or stamping
machine, which can damage not only the base or foundation but also the surrounding or nearby
structures and machines. They can also cause discomfort to operators of these machines. Similarly,
in the case of reciprocating and rotating machines, the inherent unbalanced forces are transmitted to
the base or foundation of the machine.

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

In such cases, the force transmitted to the base, V)  varies harmonically, and the resulting stresses
in the foundation bolts also vary harmonically, which might lead to fatigue Vibration isolation
failure.

Fig. 5 Vibration isolation methods

Even if the force transmitted is not harmonic, its magnitude is to be limited to safe permissible
values. In these applications, we can insert an isolator (in the form of stiffness and/or damping)
between the mass being subjected to force or excitation and the base or foundation to reduce the
force transmitted to the base or foundation. This is called force isolation. In many applications, the
isolator is also intended to reduce the vibratory motion of the mass under the applied force (as in the
case of forging or stamping machines). Thus both force and displacement transmissibility becomes
important for this of isolators.
The second type of isolation is used when a mass to be protected against the motion or excitation of
its base or foundation. When the base is subjected to vibration, the mass m will experience not only
a displacement x (t) but also a force V)  . The displacement of the mass x (t) is expected to be
smaller than the displacement of the base y (t). For example, a delicate instrument or equipment is
to be protected from the motion of its container or package (as when the vehicle carrying the
package experiences vibration while moving on a rough road). The force transmitted to the mass
also needs to be reduced. For example, the package or container is to be designed properly to avoid
transmission of large forces to the delicate instrument inside to avoid damage.
It is to be noted that the effectiveness of an isolator depends on the nature of the force or excitation.
For example, an isolator designed to reduce the force transmitted to the base or foundation due to
impact forces of forging or stamping may not be effective if the disturbance is a harmonic
unbalanced force. Similarly, an isolator designed to handle harmonic excitation at a particular
frequency may not be effective for other frequencies or other types of excitation such as step-type
excitation.

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14ME 353 Mechanical Vibrations Unit II, Chapter 9 Vibration Control

C46: Spring Support for Exhaust Fan

An exhaust fan, rotating at 1000 rpm, is to be supported by four springs, each having a stiffness of
K.
If only 10 percent of the unbalanced force of the fan is to be transmitted to the base, what should be
the value of K? Assume the mass of the exhaust fan to be 40 kg.
C47: Vibrations Isolations:
An exhaust fan, rotating at 1000 rpm, it to be supported by four springs*, each having a stiffness of
k. If only 10 % of the unbalanced force of the fan is to be transmitted to the base, what should be the
value of k? Assume the mass of the exhaust fan to be 40 kg.
If the stiffness of the springs is increased by 30%, what would be the percentage of unbalanced
force that transmitted to the base?
If a damping of damping ratio, = 0.48 is introduced to the system, in the first case, what would be
the changed transmissibility ratio?
C48: Design of an Undamped Isolator
A 50-kg mass is subjected to the harmonic force Design an undamped isolator so that the force
transmitted to the base does not exceed 5% of the applied force. Also, find the displacement
amplitude of the mass of the system with isolation
C49: Isolator for Stereo Turntable
A stereo turntable, of mass 1 kg, generates an excitation force at a frequency of 3 Hz. If it is
supported on a base through a rubber mount, determine the stiffness of the rubber mount to reduce
the vibration transmitted to the base by 80 percent
C 50: Isolation from Vibrating Base
A vibrating system is to be isolated from its vibrating base. Find the required damping ratio that
must be achieved by the isolator to limit the displacement transmissibility to Td = 4. Assume the
system to have a single degree of freedom.

-------------------- Best wishes-------------------

Dr. C V Chandrashekara, Professor, PESIT, Bangalore 32