ME3112-1 VIBRATION MEASUREMENT

SEMESTER 5
SESSION 2012/2013

Department of Mechanical Engineering

National University of Singapore

CONTENTS

TABLES OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

DYNAMIC MEASURING TECHNIQUES

Objective

Experimental Set-up

Description of Equipments

Procedure

Result and Discussion

INTRODUCTION
Purpose and Scope
The purpose of this experiment is to introduce students to the use of certain measuring
equipment commonly found in the applied mechanics laboratories. A cantilever beam is used
as an object to illustrate the use of these equipments which include strainmeter, accelerometer,
shaker and real time analyzer.
Dynamic Measuring Techniques
Objective:

To familiarize with the techniques in measuring dynamic quantities. The

resonance frequencies and the corresponding mode-shapes of a vibrating beam
will be determined with several different techniques.

Experimental Set-up:
The schematic diagram for the experiment is shown below.

Transducer

Stroboscope

Beam
Exciter
Measuring
Amplifier
Power
Amplifier

Fig. 1 Schematic Diagram

Signal
Amplifier

Description of Equipment:
(a)

Electrodynamic exciter:
Actual machinery vibrates either due to internal cause (unbalanced rotor, reciprocating
parts etc.) or external cause (vibratory motion and/or acoustic energy transmitted from
other machineries). In the laboratory environment, the machinery or structure into
vibratory motion is to externally force it with harmonic force.
One of the most commonly used equipment in producing this force is the
electrodynamic exciter. Fig. 2 depicts a simplified cut away view of this equipment. It
consists of a coil over a central core of permanent magnetic. The coil can be moved
freely with respect to the magnet. When a sinusoidal signal is applied to the coil,
because of electromagnetic interaction, the coil will move in a sinusoidal fashion with
respect to the coil. If the coil is attached to any structure then the structure will in turn
be forced to move sinusoidally.
Electromagnet replaces the permanent magnet in more powerful machine.

Force
Coil
Suspension
Low Stiffness
High Stiffness

Magnet

Fig. 2 Small Electrodynamic Vibrator

(b)

Transducers:
Also known as sensors are used to sense certain measurable quantities of any structure.
Accelerometer:

This is commonly referring to the piezoelectric type of accelerator although

accelerometers based on strain gauge are also available.
Piezoelectric accelerometers as shown in Fig. 3 operate on the principle that a mass
moves will stresses a piezoelectric crystal.

Fig. 3 Piezoelectric accelerometer - thickness-compression type

Acceleration forces cause the amount of applied force on the crystal to vary cyclically
and this, by the very nature of the piezo electric effect, produces an electric output
signal proportion to compression. Since this stress is itself directly related to
acceleration, such a signal is proportional to the vibratory acceleration of the surface
on which it is mounted. Since the electric output is charges, a charge amplifier has to
be used to convert the signal to voltage signal. This is by no mean the only possible
way of constructing an accelerometer. Fig. 4 shown five most commonly used modes
of construction.

Fig. 4 Piezoelectric accelerometer designs

The acceleration level at various points of the structure can be measured by attaching
the accelerometer one by one to all these points. These measurements will provide the
overall relative motion of a structure hence it is mode-shape.
(c)

Stroboscope:
Stroboscope which generates short-duration light pulses at controllable rate is the
equipment commonly used to provide the first level of investigating vibratory motion.
The stroboscope permits rotating and reciprocating objects to be viewed intermittently
and produces the optical effect of slowing down or stopping motion. This will enable
the resonant frequency and the mode-shape to be observed. The actual amplitude of
motion can also be ascertained if proper reference is introduced.
PROCEDURE

The rigid end of a clamped-free beam is excited by a shaker. At the resonant frequency the
beam undergoes violent vibration. The resonance frequency and the corresponding modeshape can be viewed with a stroboscope, the accelerometer or the strain-gauge. Since the
beam has more than one resonant frequency, determine the first five resonant frequencies and
mode-shapes points by varying the frequency of excitation.
Compare the values that you have obtained with theoretical results computed with the
following formula.

Fig. 5
Natural frequency f i =
i
E
I
L
m
i

=
=
=
=
=
=

i2

EI 12
(
) , i = 1, 2, 3, ....
2L2 m

Mode No.
Youngs modulus
Area moment of inertia of beam about neutral axis
Span of beam
mass per unit length
1.875
i = 1
4.694
i = 2

7.855
10.996
14.137

i
i
i

= 3
= 4
= 5

Mode shape

x
x
x
x
y cosh i cos i a i (sinh i sin i )
L
L
L
L
a1 = 0.734
ai 1.00
for i > 1
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Discuss the significance of the resonant frequencies, modes shapes and the effect of
accelerometers mass on these quantities.