ME5205 : Theory of Vibration : Assignment 1

(Due date 2019 September 3,Tuesday)

August 21, 2019

1. A vibrating system consists of a mass of 4.534 kg, a spring of stiffness 35 N /cm, and a dash pot with a
damping coefficient of 0.1243 N/(cm/sec). Find (a) the dampimg factor, (b) the logarithmic decrement,
and (c) the ratio of any two consecutive amplitudes.
2. A wheel and axle assembly of moment inertia J is inclined from the vertical by an angle α as shown in
Figure 1. Determine the frequency of oscillation due to a small unbalance weight W kg at a distance a
meter from the axle.

Figure 1:

3. A chronograph is to be operated by a 2-sec pendulum of length L shown in Figure 2. A platinum wire

attached to the bob completes the electric timing circuit through a drop of mercury as it swings through
the lowest point.
(a) What should be the length L of the pendulum?
(b) If the platinum wire is in contact with the mercury for 0.3175 cm of the swing, what must be the
amplitude θ to limit the duration of contact to 0.01 sec? (Assume that the velocity during contact is
constant and that the amplitude of oscillation is small.)

1
 Figure 2:

4. A hydrometer float, shown in Figure 3, is used to measure the specific gravity of liquids. The mass of
the float is 0.0372 kg, and the diameter of the cylindrical section protruding above the surface is 0.0064
m. Determine the period of vibration when the float is allowed to bob up and down in a fluid of specific
gravity 1.20.

Figure 3:

5. The oscillatory characteristics of ships in rolling motion depends on the position of the metacenter M
with respect to the center of gravity G. The metacenter M represents the point of intersection of the
line of action of the buoyant force and the center line of the ship, and its distance h measured from G
is the metacentric height as shown in Figure 4. The position of M depends on the shape of the hull and
is independent of the angular inclination θ of the ship for small values of θ. Show that the period of the
rolling motion is given by
r
J
τ = 2π
Wh

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 Figure 4:

where J is the mass moment of inertia of the ship about its roll axis and W is the weight of the ship.
In general, the position of the roll axis is unknown and J is obtained from the period of oscillation
determined from a model test.
6. Determine the effective mass at point n for the system shown in Figure 5 and its natural frequency.

Figure 5:

7. Tachometers are a reed-type of frequency-measuring instrument consisting of small cantilever beams with
weights attached at the ends: When the frequency of vibration corresponds to the natural frequency of
one of the reeds, it will vibrate, thereby indicating the frequency. How large a weight must be placed on
the end of a reed made of spring steel 0.1016 cm thick, 0.635 cm wide, and 8.890 cm long for a natural
frequency of 20 cps?
8. A gun barrel weighing 600 kg has a recoil spring of stiffness 90,000 N/m. If the barrel recoils 1.2 m
on firing, determine (a) the initial recoil velocity of the barrel, (b) the critical damping coefficient of
a dashpot which is engaged at the end of the recoil stroke, and (c) the time required for the barrel to
return to a position 5 cm from its initial position

9. Determine the effective stiffness of the system shown in Figure 6 in terms of the displacement x

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 Figure 6:

10. A piston of mass 4.53 kg is traveling in a tube with a velocity of 15.24 m/s and engages a spring and
damper as shown in Figure 7. Determine the maximum displacement of the piston after engaging the
spring-damper. How many seconds does it take?

Figure 7:

11. A thin plate of area A and weight W is attached to the end of a spring and is allowed to oscillate in a
viscous fluid as shown in Figure 8. If τ1 is the natural period of undamped oscillation (that is, with the
system oscillating in air), and τ2 the damped period with the plate immersed in the fluid, show that
2πW
q
µ= τ22 − τ12
gAτ1 τ2
where the damping force on the plate is Fd = µ2Av, 2A is the total surface area of the plate, and v is
its velocity.

Figure 8:

12. A spring-mass system with viscous damping is displaced from the equilibrium position and released. If
the amplitude diminished by 5% each cycle, what fraction of the critical damping does the system have?
13. Determine the kinetic energy of the system shown in Figure 9 in terms of x. Determine the stiffness at
m0 and write the expression for the natural frequency.

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 Figure 9:

14. For purposes of analysis, it is desired to reduce the system of Figure 10 to a simple linear spring-mass
system of effective mass mef f and effective stiffness kef f · Determine mef f and kef f in terms of the given
quantities.

Figure 10:

15. A uniform cantilever beam of total mass m has a concentrated mass M at its free end. Determine the
effective mass of the beam to be added to M assuming the deflection to be that of a massless beam with
a concentrated force at the end, and write the equation for its fundamental frequency.
16. Determine the differential equation of motion and establish the critical damping for the system shown
in Figure 11.

Figure 11:

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17. A rigid uniform bar of mass m and length I is pinned at 0 and supported by a spring and viscous damper
as shown in Figure 12 Measuring θ from the static equilibrium position, determine (a) the equation for
2
small θ (the moment of inertia of the bar about o is ml3 , (b) the equation for the undamped natural
frequency, and (c) the expression for critical damping.

Figure 12:

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