Mechanical

Vibrations
What is vibration?
 Vibrations are oscillations of a system about
an equilbrium position.
Vibration…

It is also an
everyday
phenomenon we
meet on everyday
life
 Vibration …
Useful Vibration Harmful vibration
Compressor
Noise
Testing

Destruction

Wear
Ultrasonic
cleaning

Fatigue
Vibration parameters
All mechanical systems
can be modeled by
containing three basic
components:
spring, damper, mass

When these components are subjected to constant force,

they react with a constant
displacement, velocity and acceleration
 Free vibration
 When a system is initially disturbed by a displacement,
velocity or acceleration, the system begins to vibrate with
a constant amplitude and frequency depend on its
stiffness and mass.
 This frequency is called as natural frequency, and the
form of the vibration is called as mode shapes

Equilibrium pos.
Forced Vibration
If an external force applied to a
system, the system will follow the
force with the same frequency.
However, when the force
frequency is increased to the
’ system’s natural frequency,
amplitudes will dangerously
increase in this region. This
phenomenon called as
“Resonance”
 • Mechanical vibration is the motion of a particle or body which
oscillates about a position of equilibrium. Most vibrations in
machines and structures are undesirable due to increased stresses
and energy losses.

• Time interval required for a system to complete a full cycle of the

motion is the period of the vibration.

• Number of cycles per unit time defines the frequency of the vibrations.

• Maximum displacement of the system from the equilibrium position is the

amplitude of the vibration.

• When the motion is maintained by the restoring forces only, the vibration
is described as free vibration. When a periodic force is applied to the
system, the motion is described as forced vibration.

• When the frictional dissipation of energy is neglected, the motion

is said to be undamped. Actually, all vibrations are damped to
some degree.
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 Addition of Harmonic Motions
Since vectors can be represented by complex numbers we can perform vector mechanics on
harmonic motions. Then Remember:
If θ = angle b/w two given
harmonic motions X1 & X2 .
α = angle b/w resultant
motion X and motion X1.
ωt = angle b/w X1 & real
axis.
θ A = amplitude of resultant
motion X.
A1 = amplitude of X1.
A2 = amplitude of X2.
*Parallelogram law is valid*
Application: Some times machines or Useful Formulas:
different elements within a single machine
can exhibit a phenomena of Beat which is
addition of two harmonic motions with close
frequencies, period and amplitudes AKA
periodic variation in volume of a sound. It
can be reduced by following maintenance
checks, providing vibration isolation or
changing the operating speeds of closely
placed machines.
 Phase Difference b/w Two Harmonic Vectors
x1
x2
x1
ωt
φ
x2
φ
ωt
o o

x2 is leading x1 by φ x2 is lagging x1 by φ
Hence, Hence,
x1 = A1sinωt x1 = A1sinωt
x2 = A2sin(ωt+φ) x2 = A2sin(ωt-φ)
Therefore, it is also the difference in angle (radian) by which one vector (or harmonic motion)
lead or lags the other vector (harmonic motion).

φ A φ
A Amax 1
Amax 2 Amax 1 Amax 2

0 ωt
0

x2 Leading by φ x2 Lagging by φ

Maximum of x2 occurs earlier Maximum of x2 occurs later in

in time relative to x1 time relative to x1
Free Vibrations of Particles.
(SHM)
• If a particle is displaced through a distance x from its m
equilibrium position and released with no velocity, the
particle will undergo simple harmonic motion,
ma  F  W  k   st  x    kx
mx  kx  0
• General solution is the sum of two particular solutions,
 k   k 
x  C1 sin  t   C 2 cos t 
 m   m 
 C1 sin   n t   C2 cos  n t 
• x is a periodic function and n is the natural circular
frequency of the motion.
• C1 and C2 are determined by the initial conditions:

x  C1 sin   n t   C 2 cos  n t  C 2  x0
v  x  C1 n cos  n t   C2 n sin   n t  C1  v0  n
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Free Vibrations of Particles.

x  xm sin   n t    xm   v0  n  2  x02  amplitude

  tan 1  v0 x0 n   phase angle

2
n   period
n
1 n
fn    natural frequency
 n 2
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Free Vibrations of Particles.
• Velocity-time and acceleration-time curves can be
represented by sine curves of the same period as the
displacement-time curve but different phase angles.

x  xm sin   n t   
v  x
 xm n cos  n t   
 xm n sin   n t     2 
a  x
  xm n2 sin   n t   
 xm n2 sin   n t     

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Simple Pendulum
• Results obtained for the spring-mass system can be
(Approximate Solution)
applied whenever the resultant force on a particle is
proportional to the displacement and directed towards
the equilibrium position.

• Consider tangential components of acceleration and

force for a simple pendulum,

 Ft  mat :  W sin   ml

  g sin   0
l

for small angles,

g
    0
l
   m sin   n t   
2 l
n   2
n g
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