CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION TO VIBRATION AND THE FREE RESPONSE

Modeling and Energy Methods

1
Modeling and Energy Methods
• Provides an alternative way to determine the equation of motion, and an
alternative way to calculate the natural frequency of a system

• Useful if the forces or torques acting on the object or mechanical part are difficult
to determine

• Very useful for more complicated systems later (MDOF and distributed mass
systems)

2
Conservation of Energy
• For a simple, conservative (i.e. no damper), mass spring system the energy must
be conserved:
𝑇 + 𝑈 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
𝑑
𝑜𝑟 𝑇+𝑈 =0
𝑑𝑡

• At two different times t1 and t2 the increase in potential energy must be equal to
a decrease in kinetic energy (or visa-versa).
𝑈1 − 𝑈2 = 𝑇2 − 𝑇1
𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥

3
Potential and Kinetic Energy
• The potential energy of mechanical systems 𝑈 is often stored in “springs”
(remember that for a spring 𝐹 = 𝑘𝑥)
𝑥=0 𝑥0
𝑥0 𝑥0
1 2 𝑘
𝑈𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 = න 𝐹 ∙ 𝑑𝑥 = න 𝑘𝑥 ∙ 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘𝑥0 𝑀
0 0 2

Mass Spring

• The kinetic energy of mechanical systems 𝑇 is due to the motion of the “mass” in
the system
1 1 2
𝑇𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝐽𝜃ሶ
2 2

4
Determining the Natural frequency directly from the energy
• If the solution is given by 𝑥(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜙) then the maximum potential and
kinetic energies can be used to calculate the natural frequency of the system

1 2 1 2
𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑘𝐴 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑚 𝜔𝑛 𝐴
2 2

• Since these two values must be equal

1 2 1 2
𝑘𝐴 = 𝑚 𝜔𝑛 𝐴
2 2
𝑘
⇒𝑘= 𝑚𝜔𝑛2 ⇒ 𝜔𝑛 =
𝑚

5
Deriving the equation of motion from the energy approach

𝑑 𝑑 1 1
𝑇+𝑈 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 2 + 𝑘𝑥 2 =0
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 2 2

⇒ 𝑥ሶ 𝑚𝑥ሷ + 𝑘𝑥 = 0
Since 𝑥ሶ cannot be zero for all time, then
𝑚𝑥ሷ + 𝑘𝑥 = 0

6
Example 1.4.1
• Compute the natural frequency of this roller fixed in place by a spring. Assume it
is a conservative system (i.e. no losses) and rolls with out slipping.

1 2
𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙 = 𝐽𝜃ሶ
2

1
𝑇𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 2
2

7
 1 2
𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙 = 𝐽𝜃ሶ
Example 1.4.1 2
1
1 𝑥ሶ 2 𝑇𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 2
2
𝑥 = 𝑟𝜃 ⇒ 𝑥ሶ = 𝑟𝜃ሶ ⇒ 𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙 = 𝐽 2
2 𝑟
• The max value of T happens at 𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑥ሶ 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜔𝑛 𝐴
1 𝜔𝑛2 𝐴2 1 2
1 𝐽 2 𝐴2
⇒ 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐽 + 𝑚(𝜔𝑛 𝐴) = 𝑚 + 𝜔𝑛
2 𝑟2 2 2 𝑟2
• The max value of 𝑈 happens at 𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐴
1 2
⇒ 𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑘𝐴 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥
2

1 𝐽 2 2
1 2 𝑘
⇒ 𝑚 + 2 𝜔𝑛 𝐴 = 𝑘𝐴 ⇒ 𝜔𝑛 =
2 𝑟 2 𝐽 Effective mass
(𝑚 + )
𝑟2
8
Example 1.4.2
• Determine the equation of motion of the pendulum using energy

1 1 2 2
𝑇 = 𝐽0 𝜃 = 𝑚𝑙 𝜃ሶ
ሶ 2
𝑙 2 2
𝜃 𝑈 = 𝑚𝑔𝑙 1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 ,
𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 → 𝑙 1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃
𝑚
𝐽 = 𝑚𝑙2 𝑑 𝑑 1 2 2
𝑇+𝑈 = 𝑚𝑙 𝜃ሶ + 𝑚𝑔𝑙 1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 =0
𝑚𝑔 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 2

9
Example 1.4.2
• Now write down the energy​
𝑚𝑙2 𝜃ሶ 𝜃ሷ + 𝑚𝑔𝑙 sin 𝜃 𝜃ሶ = 0
⇒ 𝜃ሶ 𝑚𝑙2 𝜃ሷ + 𝑚𝑔𝑙 sin 𝜃 = 0
𝑙 ⇒ 𝑚𝑙2 𝜃ሷ + 𝑚𝑔𝑙 sin 𝜃 = 0
𝜃
𝑔
ሷ
⇒ 𝜃(𝑡) + sin 𝜃 (𝑡) = 0
𝑙
𝑚
𝐽 = 𝑚𝑙2 Using the small angle approximation for sine:

𝑚𝑔 𝑔 𝑔
ሷ
⇒ 𝜃(𝑡) + 𝜃(𝑡) = 0 ⇒ 𝜔𝑛 =
𝑙 𝑙

10
Example 1.4.4
• The effect of including the mass of the spring on the value of the frequency

𝑦
𝑦 + 𝑑𝑦

𝑚𝑠 , 𝑘 𝑙

𝑚 𝑥(𝑡)

11
Example 1.4.4
𝑚𝑠
• 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑦 ∶ 𝑑𝑦
𝑙
𝑦 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
• 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑦 ∶ 𝑣𝑑𝑦 = 𝑥ሶ 𝑡 ,
𝑙
𝑙 2 (𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑠 𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝐸 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡)
1 𝑚2 𝑦 1 𝑚𝑠 2
𝑇𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 = න 𝑥ሶ 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑥ሶ
2 0 𝑙 𝑙 2 3 1 𝑚𝑠 1
𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑡 = + 𝑚 𝑥ሶ 2
1 2 3 2
𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 2
2

1 𝑚𝑠 2 2
𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑚+ 𝜔𝑛 𝐴
2 3 𝑘
⇒ 𝜔𝑛 = 𝑚𝑠
1 2 𝑚+ This provides some simple
𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑘𝐴 3 design and modeling guides
2
12
Example 1.4.4
• What about gravity? 𝑘Δ 𝑚𝑔 − 𝑘Δ = 0, from FBD,
and static equilibrium
𝑚

+𝑥(𝑡)
𝑘
𝑚𝑔
0 1 2
𝑈𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 = 𝑘 ∆ + 𝑥
2
 𝑈𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣 = −𝑚𝑔𝑥
𝑚 1
+𝑥(𝑡) 𝑇 = 𝑚𝑥ሶ 2
2

13
Example 1.4.4
• What about gravity?
𝑑 𝑘Δ
𝑁𝑜𝑤 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑇+𝑈 =0
𝑑𝑡

𝑑 1 2
1 2 𝑚
⇒ 𝑚𝑥ሶ − 𝑚𝑔𝑥 + 𝑘 ∆ + 𝑥 =0
𝑑𝑡 2 2
+𝑥(𝑡)
⇒ 𝑚𝑥ሶ 𝑥ሷ − 𝑚𝑔𝑥ሶ + 𝑘 ∆ + 𝑥 𝑥ሶ
𝑚𝑔
⇒ 𝑥ሶ 𝑚𝑥ሷ + 𝑘𝑥 + 𝑥ሶ 𝑘∆ − 𝑚𝑔 = 0
0 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑚
Gravity does not affect the equation of motion
or the natural frequency of the system for a
⇒ 𝑚𝑥ሷ + 𝑘𝑥 = 0 linear system as shown previously with a force
balance.

14