Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum LEP

Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis 1.3.27

-11

Related topics Connecting cord, l = 750 mm, red 07362.01 2

Angular frequency, characteristic frequency, resonance fre- Connecting cord, l = 750 mm, blue 07362.04 3
quency, torsion pendulum, torsional vibration, torque, restor- Cobra3 Basic Unit 12150.00 1
ing torque, damped/undamped free oscillation, forced oscilla- Power supply, 12 V- 12151.99 1
tion, ratio of attenuation/decrement, damping constant, loga- RS 232 data cable 14602.00 1
rithmic decrement, aperiodic case, creeping. Cobra3 Translation/Rotation Software 14512.61 1
Movement sensor with cable 12004.10 1
Adapter, BNC-socket/4mm plug pair 07542.27 1
Principle
Adapter, BNC-socket-plug, 4 mm 07542.20 1
If an oscillating system is allowed to swing freely it is observed Silk thread, l = 200 m 02412.00 1
that the decrease of successive maximum amplitudes is high- Weight holder, 1 g 02407.00 1
ly dependent on the damping. If the oscillating system is stimu- Tripod base ”PASS” 02005.55 1
lated to swing by an external periodic torque, we observe that Support rod ”PASS”, l = 400 mm 02026.55 1
in the steady state the amplitude is a function of the frequen- Support rod ”PASS”, l = 250 mm 02025.55 1
cy and the amplitude of the external periodic torque and of the Right angle clamp ”PASS” 02040.55 2
damping. The characteristic frequencies of the free oscillation PC, Windows® 95 or higher
as well as the resonance curves of the forced oscillation for
different damping values are to be determined.
Therefore, the oscillations are recorded with the Cobra3 sys- Tasks
temin connection with the movement sensor. The curves of A. Free oscillation
the different oscillations are displayed and the necessary
quantities for the determination of the characteristic values 1. To determine the oscillating period and the characteris-
can easily becalculated. tic frequency of the undamped case.

2. To determine the oscillating periods and the corre-

Equipment
sponding characteristic frequencies for different damp-
Torsion pendulum after Pohl 11214.00 1 ing values. Successive, unidirectional maximum ampli-
Power supply, universal 13500.93 1 tudes are to be plotted as a function of time. The corre-
Bridge rectifier, 30 V AC/1 A DC 06031.10 1 sponding ratios of attenuation, the damping constants
Stopwatch, digital, 1/100 sec. 03071.01 1 and the logarithmic decrements are to be calculated.
Digital multimeter 07134.00 1
Connecting cord, l = 250 mm, yellow 07360.02 2 3. To realize the aperiodic case and the creeping.

Fig. 1a. Experimental set-up for free and forced torsional vibration

PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen 21327-11 1
 LEP
Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum
1.3.27
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis
-11

B. Forced oscillation Use a paper-fastener or the weight holder and hang it at the
end of the thread to tighten it. So, the thread runs parallel and
1. The resonance curves are to be determined and to be always leaves the pendulum perpendicular.
represented graphically using the damping values of A.

2. The resonance frequencies are to be determined and Fig. 2. Connection of the movement sensor to the Cobra3
are to be compared with the resonance frequency val- Basic Unit
ues found beforehand.

3. The phase shifting between the torsion pendulum and

the stimulating external torque is to be observed for a
small damping value assuming that in one case the
stimulating frequency is far below the resonance fre-
quency and in the other case it is far above it.

Fig. 1b: Electrical connection of the experiment.

red
black
yellow
BNC1
BNC2

Procedure
FREE OSCILLATION – UNDAMPED CASE
To determine the characteristic frequency v0 of the torsion
pendulum without damping (IB = 0), the time for several oscil-
lations
—
is measured repeatedly and the mean value of the peri-
od T0 calculated.

Set the measuring parameters in measure according to Fig. 3.

Select 12 mm for the axle diameter of the movement sensor.
The axis diameter in the ”Rotation” menu item is twice the dis-
Set-up tance from the pivot point of the pendulum to the attachment
The experiment is set up as shown in Fig. 1a und 1b. The DC point of the silk thread that runs to the movement sensor, i.e.
output U_ of the power supply unit is connected to the two here about 180 mm.
upper sockets of the DC motor. The eddy current brake also
needs DC voltage. For this reason a rectifier is inserted
between the AC output U_ of the power supply unit and the Fig. 3. Measuring parameters
entrance to the eddy current brake. The DC current supplied
to the eddy current brake, IB, is indicated by the ampmeter.
Perform the electrical connection of the movement sensor to
the Cobra3 Basic Unit according to Fig. 2.

To obtain a connection between the movement sensor and the

pendulum do as follows:
Place the movement sensor at the end of the table to ensure
that the used thread can easily swing.
Take about 100 cm of thread (dependent on the distance
between pendulum and sensor), place it in the groove of the
copper-pendulum, rotate the pendulum half and fix one end
with some adhesive tape.
Note: Making a knot at the end of the thread helps keeping it
fixed with the tape.
Make sure, that the tape lies close on the copper-disc.
Take the other end of the thread and place it across the larg-
er of the two cord grooves on the movement sensor. Wound it
around the cord groove once.

2 21327-11 PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen
 Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum LEP
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis 1.3.27
-11

Chose the icon ”continue” to enter the measurement window. If the values (50 ms) in the ”Get value every (50) ms” (Fig.3)
Here, the actual value of the movement sensor is displayed. dialog box are too high or too low, noisy or non-uniform mea-
Set the pendulum in motion (oscillation amplitude up to 15 surements can occur. In this case adjust the measurement
scale divisions) and click on the ”Start measurement” icon. sampling rate appropriately.

After approximately 5-10 oscillations click on the ”Stop mea-
surement” icon.
Fig.4 shows the recorded curve of this undamped oscillation.
There are different opportunities to determine the oscillation
period and the characteristic frequency of the undamped
case.
The period duration can either be calculated with the aid of the
cursor lines, which can be freely moved and shifted onto the
adjacent maxima or minima of the oscillation curve (Fig. 5).
Alternatively, use the item ”curve analysis” in the analysis
menu, where the extrema of the chosen curve can be calcu-
lated.
Or use ”Fourier analysis”, where the peak displays directly the
period duration of the oscillation.

FREE OSCILLATION – DAMPED CASE

In the same way the characteristic frequencies for the damped

oscillations are found.
Rebuild the experimental set-up as described above, now
using the following current intensities for the eddy current
brake (controlled by the ammeter):

Table for the current values for the eddy current brake:

Remarks IB ~ 0.16 A, (U~ = 2 V)

IB ~ 0.34 A, (U~ = 4 V)
Initially, it has to be ensured that the pendulum pointer at rest
IB ~ 0.52 A, (U~ = 6 V)
coincides with the zero-position of the scale. This can be
IB ~ 0.70 A, (U~ = 8 V)
achieved by turning the excentric disc of the motor.
IB ~ 0.88 A, (U~ = 12 V)
Try to rotate the pendulum carefully and release it quickly with-
out friction of your hand. This avoids disturbances of the Fig. 6 shows the curve of the damped case with IB ~ 0.25 A.
thread and damping of the pendulum, which can lead to mea-
surement errors. To realize the aperiodic case (IB ~ 1.5 A) and the creeping
For amplitudes up to 13 scale divisions the thread is well tight- Case (IB ~ 1.7 A) the eddy current brake is briefly connected
ened. directly to the DC output U_ of the power supply unit.

Fig. 5: Calculation of the period duration with cursor lines Fig. 6: Recorded curve of the damped oscillation

PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen 21327-11 3
 LEP
Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum
1.3.27
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis
-11

The Calculation of the oscillating periods is the same as Remarks

described above. To evaluate the characteristic damping val-
ues, determine the magnitude of successive amplitudes on
the same side (i.e. either minima or maxima). Therefore, use
the cursor lines, again or chose the curve-analysis function in
the analysis menu. Here, you can calculate the extrema of the
curve and use them directly for the determination of the
damping ratio (Fig.7).
Forced oscillation
To stimulate the torsion pendulum, the connecting rod of the
motor is fixed to the upper third of the stimulating source. The
DC voltage U_ of the power supply unit must be set to maxi-
mum.
The stimulating frequency va of the motor can be found by
using a stopwatch and counting the number of turns.
The amplitudes of the forced oscillation are recorded in the
same way as for the free oscillations. The measurement
begins with small frequencies. va is increased by means of the
motor-potentiometer setting ”coarse”. In the vincinity of the
maximum amplitude in the resonance case va is changed in
small steps using the potentiometer setting ”fine”. In each
case, only values should be taken into account after a stable
pendulum amplitude has been established. The higher the
damping values are the faster this steady state is reached.
Fig. 8 shows the measured curve near the resonance frequen-
cy for a small damping value (IB ~ 0.16 A).
— The weight hanging on the rotational axis of the movement
sensor should not exceed 2 g to avoid greater influence on
the pendulum system.
— In extremely short oscillation periods, signal transients or
deformations can occur. These can be reduced if the sam-
pling rate is changed. In any case, error-free recorded
intervals can be selected from the measuring signal after
completion of the measurements.
— Sickle-shaped deformation of the oscillations are due to
slippage of the thread across the cord groove on the
movement sensor. This is avoided if the thread is wound
around the cord groove once.
— Since the movement recording is not performed without
contact, slight damping of the measured oscillations does
occur, but the difference between ”nearly undamped” and
damped oscillations is very significant.
Theory and evaluation
A. Undamped and damped free oscillation In case of free and
damped torsional vibration torques M1 (spiral spring) and M2
(eddy current brake) act on the pendulum. We have
M1 = – D0 f and M2 = – Cf
f = angle of rotation
·
f = angular velocity
D0 = torque per unit angle
C = factor of proportionality depending on the current
which supplies the eddy current brake

The resultant torque

In the absence of damping or for only very small damping val-
ues, va must be chosen in such a way that the pendulum does M = – D0f – Cf
not exceed its scale range (resonance catastrophe).
Therefore, in the resonance regime the measurement has to leads us to the following equation of motion:
be stopped before the maximum values are reached. ..
Again, the maximum oscillation amplitudes can be calculated If + C = f + D0f = 0 (1)
with the aid of the cursor lines or with the curve analysis.
The resonance frequencies can be determined by Fourier I.. = pendulum’s moment of inertia
analysis. f = angular acceleration

Fig. 8: Forced oscillations for a small damping value

Fig. 7: Curve analysis parameters

4 21327-11 PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen
 Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum LEP
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis 1.3.27
-11

Dividing Eq. (1) by I and using the abbreviations where

C D0
d= and v20 = f0
2I I fa  (9)
e1  c d f  c2 d
va 2 2 d va 2
results in A v0 v 0 v0
..
f + 2 df + v20f = 0 (2)
F0
d is called the “damping constant” and and f0 =
v20

D0 Furthermore:
v0 =
B I

the characteristic frequency of the undamped system. 2 dva

tan a =
v20 – v2a
The solution of the differential equation (2) is
respectively
f(t) = f0e-dt cos vt (3)
2 dva
with a = arc tan (10)
v20 – v2a

v = 2v20  d2 (4) An analysis of Eq. (9) gives evidence of the following:

Eq. (3) shows that the amplitude f(t) of the damped oscillation 1. The greater F0 , the greater fa
has decreased to the e-th part of the initial amplitude f0 after
the time t = 1/6 has elapsed. Moreover, from Eq. (3) it follows 2. For a fixed value F0 we have:
that the ratio of two successive amplitudes is constant.
f S fmax for va  v0
fn
= K = edT (5) 3. The greater d, the smaller fa
fn1
4. For d = 0 we find:
fa S ∞ if va = v0
K is called the “damping ratio” and the quantity

fn
- = ln K = dT = ln (6)
fn1

is called the “logarithmic decrement”. Eq. (4) has a real solu-

tion only if

v20 x d2.
Fig.9: Phase shifting of forced oscillation for different damping
For v20 2
= d , the pendulum returns in a minimum of time to its values
initial position without oscillating (aperiodic case). For v20 < d2,
the pendulum returns asymptotically to its initial position
(creeping).

B. Forced oscillation
If the pendulum is acted on by a periodic torque Ma =
M0 cos vat Eq. (2) changes into
..
f + 2 df + v20f = F0 cos vat (7)

M0
where F0 =
I

In the steady state, the solution of this differential equation is

f(t)  fa cos (vat – a) (8)

PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen 21327-11 5
 LEP
Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum
1.3.27
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis
-11

Results For very small frequencies va the phase difference is approxi-

Typical values for this experimental set-up are: mately zero, i.e. the pendulum and the stimulating torque are
”inphase”. If va is much greater than v0, pendulum and stim-
—
T0 = (1.75 ± 0.05) sec; ulating torque are nearly in opposite phase to each other.
— = (3.59 ± 0.10) sec–1
v0
Fig. 10 illustrates the decrease in the unidirectional amplitude
I 1/d d v K - values as a function of time for free oscillation and different
damping values.
0.16 11.1 0.09 3.58 1.17 0.16
0.34 3.8 0.26 3.57 1.58 0.46 Fig. 11 shows the resonance curves for different damping val-
ues.
0.52 2.0 0.51 3.54 2.47 0.91
Evaluating the curves leads to medium resonance frequency
0.70 1.2 0.85 3.50 4.60 1.53 v = 3.59 s–1.
0.88 0.8 1.30 3.42 10.89 2.39
Furthermore, the software allows to calculate the Fourier-
spectra of the recorded oscillations. With this opportunity it
can easily be shown that for increasing damping values the
Fig. 9 shows the phase difference of the forced oscillation as frequency of maximum amplitude shifts to smaller values (see
a function of the stimulating frequency according to Eq. (10). Fig.12).

Fig.10: Maximum values of unidirectional amplitudes as a function of time for different damping values.

6 21327-11 PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen
 Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum LEP
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis 1.3.27
-11

Fig.11: Resonance curves for different damping values.

Fig.12: Fourier-spectra for different damping values, increasing left to right.

PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen 21327-11 7
 LEP
Forced Oscillations – Pohl’s pendulum
1.3.27
Determination of resonance frequencies by Fourier analysis
-11

8 21327-11 PHYWE series of publications • Laboratory Experiments • Physics • © PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG • D-37070 Göttingen