Mechanical Vibrations

(MED 343)
Lecture 8: Two degrees of freedom vibration systems

Dr. Mahmoud Atef

Department of Mechanical Design and Production
Engineering
 2
Number of degrees of Freedom

➢ The minimum number of independent coordinates required to determine completely the

positions of all parts of a system at any instant of time

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 3
Two -DOF system
• When a system requires two coordinates to describe its motion, it is called a 2-
DOF system.
• Two simultaneous equations of motion are required to describe the dynamics of
the 2-DOF system under free or forced vibrations.
• The 2-DOF system differs from that of the single-DOF system in that it has 2
natural frequencies

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 4
Principle and normal modes

• The motion of any mass of the system is, in general, not harmonic, and only under certain
specified conditions will all the masses perform harmonic motion of the same frequency.
• Principle mode: This is a state of the 2-DOF system in which every part performs harmonic
motion with the same vibration mode.
• Normal-mode vibration is a principal mode vibration with the amplitude of some point in the
system equal to 1.
• The more general types of periodic motion can be represented by the sum of the normal-
mode vibration multiplied by a constant.

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 5
General form of the equation of motion

• For a 2-DOF system, the equations of motion are written as:

𝑀𝑥¨+𝐶𝑥˙+𝐾𝑥=𝐹(𝑡)
• Where:
➢ 𝑀: Mass matrix (2×2)
➢ 𝐶: Damping matrix (2×2)
➢ 𝐾: Stiffness matrix (2×2)
➢ 𝑥: Displacement vector (2×1)
➢ 𝑥˙ : Velocity vector (2×1)
➢ 𝑥¨ : Acceleration vector (2×1)
➢ 𝐹(𝑡) : External force vector (2×1)

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 6
General form of the equation of motion

• For free undamped vibrations, solving

𝑀𝑥¨+𝐾𝑥=0
leads to the eigenvalue problem:
(𝐾−𝜔2𝑀)𝜙=0
𝜔2: Eigenvalues (squares of natural frequencies).
𝜙: Eigenvectors (principal modes).

General Solution: Displacement can be expressed as a combination of normal modes:

qi​ (t): Time-dependent modal coordinates.

𝜙𝑖: Principal modes.

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 7
Example (Translational system)

Consider the two-degree-of-freedom system shown in Figure.

Determine (a) the natural frequencies, and (b) the modes shapes.

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 8
Example (Translational system)

For the normal oscillation mode, each

mass undergoes harmonic motion of
the same frequency. For such motion, we
can let

2𝑘 − 𝜔2 𝑚 −𝑘 𝐴1
=0
−𝑘 2
2𝑘 − 2𝜔 𝑚 𝐴 2

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 9
Example (Translational system)
This eigenvalue problem is satisfied for any 𝐴1 and 𝐴2 if the determinant of
the above equations is zero

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 10
Example (Translational system)
From Eq.

Two expressions for the ratio of the amplitudes are found

Substitution of the natural frequencies in either of these equations leads to the ratio
of the amplitudes. we obtain

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 11
Example (Translational system)

The two normal modes of this example, which we can now call eigenvectors, are

Each normal mode oscillation can then be written as

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 12
General solution
• When the normal mode frequencies and mode shapes are known, it is possible
to determine the free vibration of the system for any initial conditions by the
proper summation of the normal modes.
• For free vibration to take place in one of the normal modes for any initial
conditions, the equation of motion for mode i must be of the form

• For initial conditions in general, the free vibration contains both modes
simultaneously and the equations of motion are of the form.

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 13
Example
• Determine the free vibration far the system of previous example for the initial
conditions

• Known from previous example normal modes are

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 14
Example

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 15
Example (Torsional system)

A torsional system consists of two disks of equal mass moment of inertia J

connected by a single shaft of torsional stiffness k.
a) Determine the two equations of motion of the system.
b) Determine the two natural frequencies of the system and the corresponding
normal modes

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.

 16
Example (Torsional system)
Assume 1 >  2
J1 + k (1 −  2 ) = 0 J2 − k (1 −  2 ) = 0
For principal mode vibrations:
1 = 1 sin t  2 =  2 sin t
 = − 2  sin t
1 1  = − 2  sin t
2 2

(− J 1 + k (1 −  2 )) sin t = 0
2 (3)

(− J 2  2 − k (1 −  2 )) sin t = 0 (4)

(k − J )1 + (−k ) 2 = 0
2
(5)

(−k )1 + (k − J 2 ) 2 = 0 (6)

12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
 17
Example (Torsional system)
1 k
(k − J )1 + (−k ) 2 = 0
2 =
 2 (k − J 2 )
(−k )1 + (k − J 2 ) 2 = 0 1 (k − J 2 )
=
2 k
(k − J ) = k2 2 2

k − J =  k
2

2k
1 = 0 2 =
J
1 1 1 1
= =1 = = −1
2 1 2 − 1
12/8/2024 Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

18
Vehicle suspension

• The automobile represents a complex

system with many degrees of freedom.
• It is possible to simplify the system as
shown in Fig. by considering Only the
major motions of the system:
1. up-and-down linear motion of the body;
2. pitching angular motion of the body;
3. up-and-down motion of the wheels.

Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

19
Vehicle suspension

• The natural frequencies for the first two

types of motion are of the same order
of magnitude
• While The wheels motions has natural
frequencies being 6 to 10 times greater
than that, of the body motions.
• Because of this large separation of
natural frequencies, the body motions
and the wheel motions (3) exist almost
independently.

Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

20
Vehicle suspension

𝑚𝑥ሷ + 𝑘𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑙𝑓 𝜃 + 𝑘𝑟 𝑥 − 𝑙𝑟 𝜃 = 0

𝑚𝑟ҧ 2 𝜃ሷ + 𝑘𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑙𝑓 𝜃 𝑙𝑓 − 𝑘𝑟 𝑥 − 𝑙2 𝜃 𝑙𝑟 = 0

𝑏 𝑘𝑓 + 𝑘𝑟
𝑥ሷ + 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝜃 = 0 𝜃ሷ + 2 𝑥 + 𝑐𝜃 = 0 𝑎=
𝑟ҧ 𝑚
𝑘𝑓 𝑙𝑓 − 𝑘𝑟 𝑙𝑟
𝑏=
𝑎 𝑏 𝑚
1 0 𝑥ሷ 𝑥
+ 𝑏 =0
0 1 𝜃ሷ 𝑐 𝜃
𝑟ҧ 2 𝑘𝑓 𝑙𝑓 2 + 𝑘𝑟 𝑙𝑟 2
𝑐=
𝑚𝑟ҧ 2
Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

21
Vehicle suspension

• When b=0, the first equation becomes independent of 𝜃, while the second
equation becomes independent of x
• b is referred to as the coupling coefficient
• The condition for zero coupling is
𝑘𝑓 𝑙𝑓 = 𝑘𝑟 𝑙𝑟

• In this case, the linear motion and torsional motion are independent, and the
uncoupled frequencies are

𝜔1 = 𝑎 𝜔2 = 𝑐

Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

22
Vehicle suspension
➢ Coupled state
For the normal oscillation mode, each mass undergoes harmonic motion of
the same frequency. For such motion, we can let

𝑥 = 𝑋 sin 𝜔 𝑡 𝜃 = Θ sin 𝜔 𝑡

𝑎 − 𝜔2 𝑏 𝑥 𝑎 − 𝜔2 𝑏
𝑏 =0 → 𝑏 =0
𝑐−𝜔 2 𝜃 𝑐− 𝜔2
𝑟ҧ 2 𝑟ҧ 2

𝑏
𝜆2 − 𝑎 + 𝑐 𝜆 + 𝑎𝑐 − 2 = 0
𝑟ҧ

Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
.

23
Example

Mahmoud Abdalhamed.
12/8/2024