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Damped

This document discusses the equation of motion for a damped harmonic oscillator and its solution. It presents the scaled equation that can be plotted for different damping parameters to show overdamped, critically damped, and underdamped behavior.

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Christopher J Campbell
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37 views3 pages

Damped

This document discusses the equation of motion for a damped harmonic oscillator and its solution. It presents the scaled equation that can be plotted for different damping parameters to show overdamped, critically damped, and underdamped behavior.

Uploaded by

Christopher J Campbell
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Damped harmonic motion

PHYS 2302, Saint Mary’s University D. A. Clarke, July 2019

In class, we found the equation of motion for a damped harmonic oscillator:

ẍ + 2γ ẋ + ω02 x = 0, (1)

which, for initial conditions x(0) = x0 and ẋ(0) = 0 has solution:


  
γ
e−γt
cosh(qt) + sinh(qt) , γ > ω0 (overdamped);


q





 e−γt (1 + γt),

γ = ω0 (critically damped);
x(t) = x0
ω0
e−γt cos(ωd t − θ0), γ < ω0 (underdamped);






 ω d

 cos(ω t),
0 γ = 0 (undamped),
(2)
where:
x0 = initial displacement of m (stretch of spring);
γ = damping coefficient;
r
k
ω0 = = oscillation frequency of undamped system;
q m
q = γ 2 − ω02 ;
q
ωd = iq = ω02 − γ 2 = oscillation frequency of underdamped system;
γ
θ0 = sin−1 = phase lag of underdamped system.
ω0

To plot Eq. (2), it’s easier if we first scale it to make all variables unitless.

Thus, let ξ = x/x0, s = ω0t, and α = γ/ω0 = sin θ0 (all unitless). Then,
γ p p
γt = ω0t = αs; q = ω0 α2 − 1; ωd = ω0 1 − α 2 ,
ω0
and Eq. (2) becomes:

1
  
√  α √ 
e−αs cosh α2 − 1 s + √ sinh α2 − 1 s , α > 1;


2




 α −1
 e (1 + s),
 −s
α = 1;
ξ(s) = √
 cos( 1 − α 2 s − θ0 )
e−αs
, α < 1;


 √

 1 − α 2


 cos s, α = 0,
which can be plotted by specifying:

- a domain for s [e.g., s = ω0 t ∈ (0, 6π ∼ 19) for three periods];

- α, unitless parameter that determines damping strength:





 > 1, overdamped;

γ  = 1, critically damped;
α =
ω0 
 < 1, underdamped;


 = 0, undamped.

1.0 α=4
1.0 α = 0.25
α=2 α = 0.1
0.8 α=1 α=0
α = 0.8
0.5
0.6
ξ(s)

ξ(s)

0.0
0.4
−0.5
0.2

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0


s = ω0t s = ω0t
Left: overdamped (red and green), critically damped (blue), and sub-critically
damped (purple) harmonic oscillators.

Right: under-damped (red and green with dashed envelope functions) and
undamped (blue) harmonic oscillators.

2
Notes.

1. By scaling Eq. (2), we never had to specify m, k, ω0 , x0, etc.

2. For α > 1, system reaches equilibrium more slowly than for α = 1.

3. Analogue meters (needle and dial) are designed with critical damping to
reach equilibrium (the “reading”) fastest without oscillating.

4. For α < 1 even slightly, oscillator attains some oscillatory behaviour,


and “overshoots” equilibrium point.

5. As α → 0, system exhibits increasing oscillatory behaviour with oscilla-


tion amplitude given by “envelope function” (e−αs ).

6. The “phase lag”, θ0 = sin−1 α, means a damped oscillator does not start
at a “peak” at t = 0; first peak “occurs” at t = −θ0 /ω0.

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