MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids

Part I: Mechanical Vibration

Questions of Tutorial 1: Free Vibration by Force or Energy Method

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. A 25-kg mass is suspended from a spring with a modulus of 2N/mm, which is in turn
suspended at its upper end from a thin steel cantilevered beam with a thickness of 3 mm,
a width of 20 mm, and a length of 250 mm. Determine the natural frequency of the
motion of the weight. [Steidel, Problem 2.6, page 49]

Answer: fn = 0.899 Hz

Q2. Determine the natural frequency of the horizontal pendulum shown. Neglect the mass of
the arm. [Steidel, Problem 2.31, page 65]

1 a k
Answer: f n 
2 b m

Q3. A roller is connected to a spring through a pin joint. The spring-connected roller is
rolling without slippage from the floor. The roller has a mass m and a radius r while the
spring has a spring constant k.
Use the force method to find the natural frequency for the spring-roller system
[Hint: analyse the forces acting on the roller and spring].

 
m k
r

x x Answer: f n 
1 2k
2 3m
Q4: Use Rayleigh’s method to find the natural frequency of a long slender rod that is
suspended vertically from one end and oscillates in one plane as pendulum.

L
m

1 3g
Answer: f n 
2 2L
 MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids
Part I: Mechanical Vibration

Questions of Tutorial 2: Damping and Free Vibration

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. A 2-kg piston supported on a helical spring vibrates freely with a natural frequency of
125 cpm. When oscillating within an oil-filled cylinder, the frequency of free oscillation
is reduced to 120 cpm. Determine the damping constant c.
[Steidal, Problem 6.4, page 174]
Answer: 1.433 kg/s

Q2. A 0.25-m mercury in a glass thermometer, which has a mass of 28 g in air, is suspended
by a rubber band and is fully immersed in a slender beaker filled with light oil.
When displaced it oscillates at a frequency of 1 Hz
and the motion is damped from an amplitude of 40
mm to 10 mm in two cycles.
(a) What is the logarithmic decrement?
(b) What is the dimensionless damping ratio, ζ?
(c) Estimate the viscosity, μ, of the oil.

Hint: Remember that Newton’s equation for

Answer: (a) 0.694; (b) 0.11; (c) 24.64 mPa·s

Q3. A slab door, 2 m high, 0.75 m wide, 40 mm thick, and a mass of 36 kg, is fitted with an
automatic door closer. The door open against a torsion spring with a modulus of 10
Nm/rad. Determine the necessary damping to critically dampen the return swing of the
door. If the door is opened at a 90° angle and released, how long will it take until the door
is within 1° of closing? [Steidel, Problem 6.18, page 177]

Answer: t=5.36 s
Q4. The owner of a 1500 kg car tests the action of his rear-wheel shock absorber by applying
a steady 50 kg force to the rear bumper and measuring a static deflection of 75 mm.
Upon sudden release of the force, the bumper rises and then falls to a maximum of 12.7
mm below the unloaded equilibrium position of the bumper on the first rebound. Treat
the action as a one-dimensional problem with an equivalent mass of half the car mass.
Find the viscous damping ratio ζ for the rear end and the viscous damping constant c for
each shock absorber assuming its action to be vertical.

Answer: ωn =2.98 rad/s, ζ=0.271, c=603 Ns/m

50 kg Equilibrium
position
 MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids
Part I: Mechanical Vibration

Questions of Tutorial 3: Forced Periodic Vibration

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. A motor operating at a speed of 950 rpm is supported on four identical rubber pads, and
vibrates with amplitude of 3.8 mm. In starting, it passes through a resonant frequency at
500 rpm. Determine the amplitude of vibration if the motor was mounted on four pairs of
pads, each pair consisting of two of the original pads.
[Steidel, Problem 4.19, page 112]

Answer: 3.2 mm

Q2. An electric motor has a mass of 25 kg and is mounted on a beam cantilevered from a
vertical wall. If the motor is displaced 16 mm, the vibration of the motor and beam is
observed to dampen to less than 1 mm in 4 cycles. Estimate the value of the
magnification ratio MX/me for resonant forced vibration, if the armature were
unbalanced. [Steidel, Problem 7.2, page 209]

Answer: 4.53

Q3. A machine part of mass 1.95 kg vibrates in a viscous medium. Determine the damping
coefficient when a harmonic exciting force of 24.46 N results in a resonant amplitude of
1.27 cm with a period of 0.20 s. What is the damping ratio?

Answer: c=61.3 Ns/m and ζ=0.50.

Q4. An electric motor that is used as a mechanical drive is mounted in the center of a light
frame table. The mass of the motor added to the effective mass of the table is 40 kg. The
armature and rotating parts have a mass of 10 kg and have eccentricity of 15 mm. The
table is observed to deflect 3 mm when the motor is mounted. In free vibration, a
displacement of 32 mm is damped to 1 mm in 1 s. The operating speed of the motor is
875 rpm. Calculate the amplitude of motion if the damping is assumed to be viscous.
[Steidel, Problem 7.18, page 212-213]
Answer: 6.10 mm
 MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids
Part I: Mechanical Vibration

Questions of Tutorial 4: Vibration Isolation, and Transient Forced Vibration

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. A 1570-kg automobile is supported on four-coil springs, each with a spring modulus of
25 N/mm. In traveling over an elevated expressway, a resonant vertical motion is excited.
Each span of the expressway way is 25m in length and sags 15 mm at midspan.
Determine the maximum vertical excursion of the automobile traveling at 100 km/h over
the expressway. Damping is neglected. [Steidel, Problem 4.6, page 109]

Answer: 64 mm

Q2. A 350-kg gasoline engine driven air compressor operates at 800 power strokes per
minute. When mounted on rubber pads, the transmitted vibration is reduced to one fourth
of the value without rubber pads. What was the static deflection of the rubber pads?
[Steidel, Problem 4.8, page 109]

If the engine is mounted onto a 350-kg concrete block, which is in turn mounted on the
same rubber pads, what is the percentage decrease in the dynamic deflection?
[Steidel, Problem 4.9, page 109]
Answer: 7mm, 55.6% decrease

Q3. An electromechanical device is mounted on a set of rubber isolators. The system exhibits
an amplitude resonance peak of 5:1 at a frequency of 500 cpm. Above what frequency
would the transmission of force be reduced to one half?
[Steidel, Problem 7.12, page 211]
Answer: 879 cpm

Q4: A mass m1 hangs from a spring k and is in static equilibrium. A second mass m2 drops
from a height h and sticks to m2 without rebound, as shown in the figure. Determine the
subsequent motion and plot the displacement of mass m1 over time.

k
m2
h 2 gh mg
Answer: x  m sin n t  2 1  cos n t 
m1 2 k m m
1  2  k

x
 MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids
Part I: Mechanical Vibration

Questions of Tutorial 5: Two-Degree-of-Freedom Free Vibration

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. An automobile m1 uses a bumper hitch to pull a loaded trailer m2. The bumper acts as an
elastic spring, k. The trailer with a 3800-kg mass is hitched to a 1750-kg automobile.
The flexibility of the hitch is 175 N/mm. What are the frequencies or what is the
frequency of free vibration of the automobile. [Steidel, Problem 9.4, page 259]

Answer: 0 Hz and 1.92 Hz

Q2. A large automobile manufacturer analyzed the problem of the automobile by taking an
entire automobile apart. By weighing each section, the following values of equivalent
masses were found.
m1 axle mass 180 kg
m2 body mass 670 kg
k2 springs 45.5 N/mm
k1 tires 538 N/mm

Discount the natural frequencies such as pitch, roll, and yaw. Determine the two natural
frequencies of motion. [Steidel, Problem 9.12, page 261]

Answer: 75.5 Hz, 544 Hz

Q3. A two-story building is shown as of illustration by a lumped mass system where mass
m1= ½ m2, and k1 = ½ k2. Show that its normal modes are
Q4. In the problem Q2, if the forces are applied to mass m1 to deflect it by unity, and the
system is released from this position, determine the equation of motion of each mass by
the normal mode summation.
 MP3002/MP4102 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids
Part I: Mechanical Vibrations

Questions of Tutorial 6: Two-Degree-of-Freedom Forced Vibration

Note: Do attempt these tutorial questions by yourself before attending the tutorial session

Q1. Tension spring packaging is a means of supporting extremely fragile packages for
shipping. Basically, the fragile package is supported inside the shipping container by
springs in tension. To simplify the problem, idealize it as two masses and three springs.

A harmonic force F(t)=10sin30t is applied to the outer case of the tension spring
packaging system. What is the maximum amplitude of the center mass? For this
problem, m1=m2 = 2.5 kg and k = 1930 N/m. [Steidel, Problem 9.74, page 303]

Answer: X2=−4.2 mm

Q2. As in the problem Q2, assume that an earthquake causes the ground to oscillate in the
horizontal direction according to xg = Xg sinωt. Determine the steady-state response of
the building.