Dynamics Lab Report

Engine Dynamics

2011/12

Executive Summary

This report investigates the effect of piston balancing in an

electrically driven model of a 4-cylinder internal
combustion engine suspended on springs.

An out of balance engine will exhibit much higher

vibrations and primary forces than a balanced engine.

The calculations and differences between primary and

secondary forces are also investigated and explained.

By: Steven Goddard

Student Number: 10038749
Course: Mechanical
Engineering (PT)
Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 1 of 16

Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Experimental Design and Procedure .......................................................................................................... 2
3. Theoretical Calculations & Background ..................................................................................................... 5
4. Analysis of Results & Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 7
5. Self-Reflection of Other Experiments ...................................................................................................... 10
6. Appendix .................................................................................................................................................. 14
g

Figures
Figure 1 - System Schematic Showing the 4 bar Linkage ....................................................................................... 2
Figure 2 - Lab Equipment Showing Engine (Left) and DAP View/Speed Control (Right) ....................................... 2
Figure 3 - DAP View Results - T1 (Left), T2 (Right) ................................................................................................. 3
Figure 4 - Theoretical Acceleration Amplitude (g) of piston .................................................................................. 8
Figure 5 - Acceleration of Engine Block Comparison of Aligned and 180° Crank Configurations .......................... 8
Figure 6 - Summary of Theoretical Forces on Engine Block ................................................................................... 9

Tables
Table 1 - Recorded Time Periods of Mass (T1) and Added Mass (T2) ..................................................................... 3
Table 2 – Comparison of Oscillation Modes ........................................................................................................... 4
Table 3 - Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (Aligned) .................................................................................. 5
Table 4 - Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (180°) ....................................................................................... 5
Table 5 - Estimated Spring Stiffness and Mass Values ........................................................................................... 5
Table 6 - Theoretical Estimation of Piston Acceleration ........................................................................................ 6
Table 7 - Example of Primary Forces at 500 rpm ................................................................................................... 7
Table 8 - Summary of Forces Resulting From Each Speed in Each Configuration .................................................. 7

References
Atkinson, G., 2012. Dynamic Lab - Lab/Course Notes. Bristol: UWE.
Larsen, N., 2012. Dynamics Course Notes. Bristol: UWE.
Rao, S., 2011. Mechanical Vibration. 5th ed. Up Saddle River(NJ): Pearson Education Inc.

Group Roles
Steve Goddard – Project Manager/Experimental Test
Alex Oliver – Theoretical Test
Steve Morphew – Experimental Test
Sam Wort – Experimental Test
Peter O’Shea – Theoretical Test

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 2 of 16

1. Introduction
This Report is a requirement for the Dynamics Labs module of the Mechanical Engineering course and was
written by Steven Goddard (Student Number 10038749) as part of the Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)
course at UWE, Bristol during the 2011/2012 student year.

This report describes the investigation that took place on the 20th March 2012 into the effects of engine mass
and piston balancing in an engine.
By balancing an engine accurately many benefits can be obtained such as increased bearing life, low noise and
reduced vibration. This experiment analyses the balancing within the engine specimen and studies the
primary and secondary forces experienced.
The investigation includes experimental testing and theoretical analysis. The results are explained and include
relevant comments and explanations into possible sources of errors.

2. Experimental Design and Procedure

2.1.Materials
This experiment uses an electrically driven model of a 4-cylinder internal combustion engine suspended
on 4 springs. The 4 pistons within the engine are connected on con rods with adjustable crank angles.
𝛽 = 𝜃𝑂𝐴 − 90°, Length of Crank OA = 1” (25.4mm). Length of con-rod AB = 3.5” (88.9mm).

Figure 1 - System Schematic Showing the 4 bar Linkage

The instrumentation and data acquisition systems used in this experiment consists of:
2 off Accelerometers one at either end of the engine.
2 Signals are processed by the DAP data acquisition system; (DAP Board connected to a PC).
DAP View Software for Windows outputs the data graphically.

Figure 2 - Lab Equipment Showing Engine (Left) and DAP View/Speed Control (Right)

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

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2.2.Safety Checks
During the experiment the following safety precautions were followed:
Ensure safety guard is in place whilst the experiment is running.
Ensure the system is electrically isolated and cannot run whilst changing the pistons or taking
measurements/checking dimensions on the apparatus.
Obtain verbal guidance of safety aspects of the experiment and sign safety brief sheet.
2.3.Experiment 1 – Estimating Engine Mass
2.3.1. Introduction
Experiment 1 involved setting the engine block into free oscillation and measuring its time period,
the same is then done for the engine block with added mass, the spring constant (k) and mass (m)
can then be estimated.
2.3.2. Method
i. Perform Safety Checks in accordance with (IAW) Section 2.2.
ii. Start up DAP View and check transducers.
iii. Displace engine (extend springs) and let the mass (m) go.
iv. Once the engine has stabilized and is in Free Oscillation (Simple Vertical Translation Mode), stop
the DAP View recording and note the Time Period measured (T1) (See Figure 3).
v. Add the 1.5kg mass (m’) to the engine block and displace the engine again by extending the
springs and letting the mass (m + m’) go.
vi. Repeat Step 4 for Time Period (T2)
vii. Remove the 1.5kg mass (m’) and stop DAP View.
2.3.3. Observations
One of the Transducers was not bonded correctly to the engine block and hence gave inaccurate
readings. (See the green signal in Figure 3). All measurements were taken from the red signal line.
Also I have determined that during Test 1, T2 was inaccurately recorded this has yielded a resultant
mass approximately 30kg greater than all other results; I have deemed this a systematic error.
2.3.4. Results
The results of Experiment 1 are shown in Table 1:
Units Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Mean Standard Error (+/-)
T1 Seconds 0.332 0.332 0.333 0.329 0.33133 0.002
T2 Seconds 0.338 0.360 0.352 0.347 0.353 0.006

Table 1 - Recorded Time Periods of Mass (T1) and Added Mass (T2)
The result from Experiment 1 will be used to calculate the Mass, see Section 3.1.

Delta x = 0.332 Delta x = 0.360

Figure 3 - DAP View Results - T1 (Left), T2 (Right)

The screen captures from Dap View shown in Figure 3 relate to Test 2.
Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)
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2.4.Experiment 2 – Natural Frequency of the Engine

2.4.1. Introduction
Experiment 2 required the frequency at Simple Vertical Translation (measured in Experiment 1). A
further measurement was also needed to calculate the natural frequency for pitching mode. From
these two frequencies the higher is determined and used for subsequent calculations.
2.4.2. Method
i. Perform safety checks IAW Section 2.2.
ii. Start up DAP View and check transducers
iii. Displace the mass (m) and set into pitch oscillation.
iv. Once the engine has stabilized and is in Free Oscillation (Pitching Mode of Oscillation), stop the
DAP View recording and note the Time Period measured.
v. Convert the Time Period to Frequency (Hz)
vi. Compare the Simple Vertical Translation and Pitch frequencies and convert the higher to
revolutions per minute (RPM) at resonance.
vii. Stop DAP View.
2.4.3. Observations
As stated previously, one transducer was bonded incorrectly to the engine, hence giving inaccurate
readings on one transducer. All readings were taken from the remaining transducer.
2.4.4. Results
Description of Mode 𝒇 (Hz)
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Mean Standard Error (+/-)
Simple Vertical 3.012 3.012 3.003 3.040 3.017 0.016
Translation
Pitch 3.953 3.853 3.874 3.949 3.907 0.044
Table 2 – Comparison of Oscillation Modes
Table 2 shows the comparison between Oscillation modes. The results from this experiment show
Pitch as being the higher frequency at 3.907 Hz. This higher frequency will be denoted as 𝑓0 .
2.5.Experiment 3 – Effect of Piston Balancing
2.5.1. Introduction
This experiment involves operating the engine at a range of RPM values (500 – 560) in two
configurations. One configuration involves the crank positions within the engine to be aligned whilst
the second configuration requires the two inner cranks to be at 180° to the outer cranks. The
acceleration amplitudes of the engine block at each speed and configuration will be recorded and
compared to explain the effect of piston balancing and crank alignment.
Acceleration amplitude of the piston will also be theoretically estimated.
2.5.2. Method
i. Perform Safety Checks IAW Section 2.2.
ii. Start up DAP View and check transducers.
iii. Ensure system is settled (Complementary function fades before measurements are taken).
iv. Set the rotational speed to 500 RPM and record the time period.
v. Increase the rotational speed by 20 RPM and record the time period.
vi. Repeat step 5 until 560 RPM has been reached and recorded.
vii. Stop and electrically isolate equipment.
viii. Loosen the 3 bolts on the crank and adjust the angle of the two outer cranks so that they are
180° out of phase from the inner two cranks.
ix. Tighten screws.
x. Repeat steps 4 – 7.
Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)
Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 5 of 16

2.5.3. Observations
One transducer was incorrectly bonded to the engine; hence all readings were taken from a single
transducer, hence I was not able to calculate any mean values and perform error analysis.
The accuracy of setting both the crank angle and speed could be sources of possible errors due to
human error. If the experiment were to be extended a computer controlled angle and speed could
be used to improve accuracy.
2.5.4. Results
Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (Aligned)
RPM ω2 (rad2/s2) ap (g) Time Period (Ref)
Rpm 500 2741.557 0.50 0.118
Rpm+20 520 2965.268 0.54 0.108
Rpm + 40 540 3197.752 0.58 0.105
Rpm + 60 560 3439.009 0.64 0.102
Table 3 - Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (Aligned)
Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (180°)
RPM ω2 (rad2/s2) ap (g) Time Period (Ref)
Rpm 500 2741.557 0.15 0.061
Rpm+20 520 2965.268 0.18 0.056
Rpm + 40 540 3197.752 0.19 0.056
Rpm + 60 560 3439.009 0.20 0.052
Table 4 - Measured Acceleration of Engine Block (180°)
At 180° the accelerations are clearly less than the aligned configuration; a theoretical explanation to
show why this happening is shown in Section 3.3.
3. Theoretical Calculations & Background
3.1. Experiment 1 – Estimating Engine Mass
During Experiment 1 the Time Periods for 2 different masses were measured. Using the relationship in Eq.
1 the mass can be found.
𝒎
Eq. 1 𝑻 = 𝟐𝝅√
𝒌

Eq. 1 describes the Time Period (T) in terms of Mass (m) and Stiffness (k). Assuming T is a known constant;
Eq. 1 can be arranged in terms of k for m.
𝑻𝟐
Eq. 2 𝒌=𝒎
𝟒𝝅𝟐
With the two recorded time periods one for mass (m) and another for mass (𝑚 + 𝑚′ = 𝑚 + 1.5) two
equations in the form of Eq. 2 can be derived.
𝑻𝟐
𝒌=𝒎
𝟒𝝅𝟐
Eq. 3 {
𝑻𝟐
𝒌 = 𝒎 + 𝟏. 𝟓
𝟒𝝅𝟐
Solving these simultaneously enables m and k to be calculated. Table 5 shows the results calculated.
Units Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Mean Std Error (+/-)
Time Period (T1) Secs Anomaly 0.332 0.333 0.329 0.331 0.002
Time Period (T2) Secs – Not 0.360 0.352 0.3474 0.353 0.006
Spring Stiffness (k) N/m Included 3056.236 4549.952 4758.056 4121.415 928.322
Estimated Engine Mass Kg in End 8.533 12.780 13.046 11.453 2.532
(m) Results.
Table 5 - Estimated Spring Stiffness and Mass Values
Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)
Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 6 of 16

This shows that the ratio of the square of time periods (with and without the extra mass) is equal to the
ratio of the total mass and the engine mass:
𝑻𝟐 𝟐
Eq. 4 ⁄ 𝟐 = 𝒎 + 𝒎′⁄𝒎
𝑻𝟏
3.2. Experiment 2 – Natural Frequency of the Engine
During this experiment the frequencies of Simple Vertical Translation and Pitching Mode of Oscillation were
recorded. The higher of these values (pitch frequency) will be used in the subsequent calculations.

The Pitching Mode frequency (3.907 Hz) will be converted to RPM at resonance by multiplying by 60.

The higher frequency will be denoted as 𝑓0 and the RPM at resonance as 𝑟𝑝𝑚0 .

Eq. 5 𝒓𝒑𝒎𝟎 = 𝟔𝟎𝒇𝟎 = 𝟔𝟎 × 𝟑. 𝟗𝟎𝟕 = 𝟐𝟑𝟒. 𝟒𝟐 𝑹𝑷𝑴

Engine vibration frequency is now calculated by multiplying the higher natural frequency resonance rpm by 2.44.

Eq. 6 Engine Vibration Frequency = 𝒇𝟏 = 𝟐. 𝟒𝟒 × 𝟑. 𝟗𝟎𝟕 = 𝟗. 𝟓𝟑𝟑 Hz

Eq. 7 Resonance RPM= 𝒓𝒑𝒎𝟏 = 𝟐. 𝟒𝟒 × 𝟐𝟑𝟒. 𝟒𝟐 = 𝟓𝟕𝟏. 𝟗𝟖𝟓 RPM

The subsequent experiments are performed at a much higher frequency than 𝑓1 . This is significant because it de-
couples the internal mechanics from the spring forces also if the frequency of excitation coincides with any of the
natural frequencies resonance will occur. This will result in a large displacement. In this experiment the large
displacements will produce a clear anomaly in the results. In a real life situation these displacements will produce
large stress and strains and eventually cause the failure of the system.
Unfortunately at the point of conducting the experiment there was confusion regarding the “higher frequency”;
therefore during the experiment I took the Simple Vertical Translation as my “𝑓0” value. Following through on the
calculations with this value my original rpm1 came to 441.688 RPM. This is why my experimental results start at
500rpm as this seemed a high enough and suitable rounded figure to start on.

3.3. Experiment 3 – Effect of Piston Balancing

During experiment 3, the acceleration of the piston was determined theoretically.
RPM was converted to rad/s (𝜔) using Eq. 8, this was squared and converted to m/s2 (ap) using Eq. 9 where OA =
25.4mm (the length of the crank) :
𝑹𝑷𝑴
Eq. 8 𝝎 = 𝟐𝝅 ( 𝟔𝟎
)

Eq. 9 𝒂𝒑 = 𝝎𝟐 𝑶𝑨

ω (rad/s) ω2 (rad2/s2) ap (m/s2) ap (g)

Rpm 500 52.360 2741.557 69.636 7.101
Rpm+20 520 54.454 2965.268 75.318 7.680
Rpm + 40 540 56.549 3197.752 81.223 8.282
Rpm + 60 560 58.643 3439.009 87.351 8.907
Table 6 - Theoretical Estimation of Piston Acceleration
The next part of Experiment 3 involved measuring the acceleration of the engine block whilst operating the engine
at speeds of between 500 and 560 RPM.

The following calculations are performed using the estimated mass of the engine block from Experiment 1.

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 7 of 16

Without going to deep into the initial calculations (extended calculations included in appendix), after working
through the crank-slider mechanism methods 3 equations can be derived with each one enabling the calculation of
either, distance, velocity or acceleration. I am interested in the acceleration hence the equation I am using is:

𝒒𝟑
Eq. 10 𝒙̈ = −𝝎𝟐 𝒓 [𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝝎𝒕) + 𝒒𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟐𝝎𝒕) + (𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟐𝝎𝒕) − 𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟒𝝎𝒕)) + 𝒆𝒕𝒄]
𝟖

25.4
The value 𝑞 = 𝑟/𝑙 where r = OA (25.4mm) and l = AB (88.9mm). Therefore 𝑞 = = 0.286.
88.9

Where m is there mass of the engine block and friction is neglected Newton’s 2nd Law can be applied by saying the
force exerted 𝐹 = −𝑚𝑥̈ 𝐵 and if q is small the equation can be expressed as follows:

Eq. 11 𝑭 = 𝒎𝝎𝟐𝑶𝑨 𝑶𝑨[𝒄𝒐𝒔𝜽 + 𝒒𝒄𝒐𝒔𝟐𝜽]

2 2
The first term (𝑚𝜔𝑂𝐴 𝑂𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃) is known as the primary force and the second term (𝑞𝑚𝜔𝑂𝐴 𝑂𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝜃) is known as
the secondary force. Table 7 shows an example of the forces exerted by each pinion, the primary forces of the
aligned pistons all add up as they are all going in the same direction compared to the 180 degree pinion
configuration where the outer two pistons are in the opposite direction of the inner pistons, hence they cancel
each other out.

Configuration RPM Piston 1 Piston 2 Piston 3 Piston 4 Total Forces

Aligned 500 797.529 797.529 797.529 797.529 3190.115
180 797.529 -797.529 -797.529 797.529 0.000
Table 7 - Example of Primary Forces at 500 rpm
Table 8 shows the results of calculations to determine all the primary and secondary forces.

Forces Summary
RPM (+/- 10) 500 520 540 560
Primary Aligned (N) 3190.115 3450.429 3720.950 4001.681
Primary 180 (N) 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Secondary Aligned (N) 911.4615 985.8368 1063.129 1143.337
Secondary 180 (N) 911.4615 985.8368 1063.129 1143.337
Combined Aligned (N) 4101.577 4436.265 4784.079 5145.018
Combined 180 (N) 911.461 985.837 1063.129 1143.337
Table 8 - Summary of Forces Resulting From Each Speed in Each Configuration

4. Analysis of Results & Conclusions

4.1. Experiment 1
Experiment 1 involved measuring the time period of simple vertical translation of the engine block and again with a
1.5kg mass added. These measurements are then used to calculate the mass of the engine block.
The resulting mass of the system is:
11.453 kg ±2.532 kg
This result seemed reasonable; if I had to do the experiment again I would take more readings to get a more reliable data set.

4.2. Experiment 2
Experiment 2 involved measuring the natural frequency during simple vertical translation (measured during
experiment 1) and the pitch frequency. The higher value here was taken and multiplied by 2.44 to calculate the
engine vibration frequency.

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 8 of 16

As stated in Section 3.2 the subsequent experiments are performed at a much higher frequency. This is to de-
couple the internal mechanics from the spring forces and to avoid coincidence with the natural frequencies of the
engine which would result in resonance.
The higher natural frequency was pitch and is:
3.907 Hz ± 0.044
If I could do this experiment again I would have liked to have a better understanding of the Pitch mode beforehand.
I would have also taken a more measurements to get a more reliable data set. Due to time constraints this was not
possible.

4.3. Experiment 3
Experiment 3 involved calculating the theoretical acceleration of the piston over a range of speeds (500 - 560 rpm)
and measuring the accelerations of the engine block across the same speeds (500 – 560 rpm).
The results of the theoretical calculations regarding the piston acceleration amplitude are shown below:

Figure 4 - Theoretical Acceleration Amplitude (g) of piston

Figure 4 shows the relationship between ap and 𝜔2 . Adding a linear trendline to this data gives the gradient
of 0.0026𝑥. This shows the acceleration increasing linearly with the angular acceleration.
The calculations that make up the values in Figure 4 assume that AB >> OA, this is a reasonable assumption because
if this was not true the piston would end up smashing into the crank. It also assumes that m >> m’, this seems
reasonable as a much heavier mass would have made the spring force negligible compared to the inertial force
generated by the mass.
The experimentally measured values of the acceleration of the engine block are shown in Figure 5:

Figure 5 - Acceleration of Engine Block Comparison of Aligned and 180° Crank Configurations
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Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 9 of 16

The difference in the acceleration between the aligned and 180 degree configurations is shown in Figure 5. The 180
degree configuration is approximately 3-4 times lower than the aligned configuration. This is due to the effect of
balancing the pistons which cancel out the primary forces. The reason for some forces to exist still is that there are
secondary forces that are not cancelled.
In Section 3.3 the theoretical explanation of piston balancing was shown.

Figure 6 shows a summary of the calculated primary and secondary forces with respect to the RPM. As measured
experimentally (Figure 5), the aligned configuration generates much more force/acceleration. When split into their
primary and secondary forms Figure 6 shows this is due to the high primary forces. The 180 degree configuration
shows no primary forces and this is due to the balancing of the pistons. Essentially as two of the pistons are going
down the other two are going up which cancels out the primary forces. Unfortunately secondary forces don’t work
like this, and as shown both secondary are still here. In order to reduce the secondary forces in this case, length OA
(crank) must decrease and length AB (Con Rod) must increase. However it is generally impractical to balance
secondary forces.

Summary of Theoretical Forces on Engine Block

6000

5000
Combined Aligned
4000
Force (N)

Combined 180
3000
Primary Aligned
2000 Primary 180
Secondary Aligned
1000
Secondary 180
0
500 510 520 530 540 550 560
RPM

Figure 6 - Summary of Theoretical Forces on Engine Block

4.4. Conclusion
In conclusion of my investigation I have discovered the importance of piston balancing in an engine and more
importantly the high increase of vibration in an unbalanced system. I have learnt how to use dynamic testing
equipment, including accelerometers and DAP View recording software, I have learnt methods of error analysis and
I have become familiar with performing calculations regarding vibration, in particular the crank slider mechanism.

From the results of my investigation it is clear that an engine needs to be well balanced in order to avoid
unnecessarily high vibrations by cancelling out the primary forces as best as possible. Also in order to reduce any
secondary forces the lengths of the crank and conrods have to be suitably sized but not to impact on the physical
operation of the system (such as piston clashing with the crank). With a well balanced engine my investigation
proves this will increase bearing life, lower noise and lower vibrations.

I have not considered firing forces in the example above, for a combusting engine this would also generate other
forces that would need to be balanced.

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 10 of 16

5. Self-Reflection of Other Experiments

5.1. Cussons Oscillator (Project Leader - Steve Morphew)
Aim – Investigate forced simple harmonic motion (SHM) for free and damped oscillation and to find the
relationship between damping magnitude and damping ratio/logarithmic decrement.

Role – I was involved with the theoretical calculations.

Experiment 1 – Free Oscillation for an Undamped System

1
0.8
Force (N)

y = 47.449x + 0.003
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025
Displacement (m)

Experiment 2 – Free Oscillation for Free Viscous Damping

Damped Oscillation (0.8A)

3.00
2.50
Damped Oscillation (0.8A)
ln x (mm)

2.00
1.50
1.00 Linear (Damped Oscillation
y = -0.5287x + 3.272 (0.8A))
0.50
0.00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
n

Logarithmic Decrement = -0.5287 Damping Ratio = -0.0838

Experiment 3 – Effect of Varying Damping Levels on the Oscillator

Comparison of Damping Ratio to Coil Current Coil

Current (A)
3.00
2.50
0.6
2.00
0.8
1.50
1.0
Ln x (mm)

1.00
1.2
0.50
1.4
0.00
1.6
-0.50 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
1.8
-1.00
-1.50

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 11 of 16

5.2. Torsional Vibration (Project Leader – Peter O’Shea)

Aim – Calculate the Torsional rigidity of a stainless steel beam. Investigate natural frequencies and resonance
in free, forced and coupled Torsional vibrations.
Role – My role was to do the necessary theoretical calculations in Excel.
Experiment 1 – Estimating the Torsional Rigidity of a Steel Rod
Force Torque Amplitude (wave Experimental Experimental Angle Experimental
(N)  displacement) Angle  (radians) Rigidity (Nm/Rad)
(Nm) from DAPview (V) (degrees)
0 0 -2.240 0 0 NA
5 0.55 -42.630 3 0.052 10.504
10 1.10 -74.550 4.5 0.079 14.006
15 1.65 -109.620 8 0.140 11.817
20 2.20 -149.030 11 0.192 11.459
Experiment 2 - Natural Frequency at Free Oscillation
Data for Experiment 2 Large Disc 1 Small Disc 2
Radius of Disc (m) 0.114 0.075
Mass of Disc (kg) 4.807 2.774
Distance from Exciter (m) 0.8 0.5
Rigidity (Nm/rad) * 12.4054 19.8485
Time Period for 1 cycle (seconds) 0.327 0.133
Moment of Inertia (Kg/m^2) 0.0312 0.0078
Natural Frequency from DAPview (Hz) 3.058 7.519
Free rotation Natural Frequency (Hz) 3.172 8.028
Difference between results - 0.114 - 0.509
Experiment 3 – Resonance for Forced Torsional Vibration
Exciter Exciter Amplitude Disc Amplitude Time base for Phase Shift Gain
Frequency (Hz) (V in- red) (V out- yellow) 1 cycle (sec) (degrees) (V)
2 1.260 15.330 0.505 363.600 12.167
3 1.330 16.660 0.339 366.120 12.526
4 2.030 17.780 0.251 361.440 8.759
5 1.890 21.630 0.200 360.000 11.444
6 1.960 28.980 0.166 358.560 14.786
7 1.120 60.270 0.145 365.400 53.813
7.3 2.240 108.640 0.136 357.408 48.500
Experiment 4 – Resonance for Force and Coupled Torsional Vibration
Exciter Exciter Amplitude Disc Amplitude Time base for Phase Shift Gain
Frequency (Hz) (V in- red) (V out- yellow) 1 cycle (sec) (degrees) (V)

0 1.120 0.140 0.136 0 0.125

2 17.920 28.000 0.491 353.520 1.563
3 24.710 205.520 0.349 376.920 8.317
4 17.500 120.540 0.331 476.640 6.888
5 3.220 26.880 0.203 365.400 8.348
6 18.410 24.150 0.157 339.120 1.312
7 17.290 25.200 0.130 327.600 1.457
8 10.920 25.480 0.099 285.120 2.333

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 12 of 16

5.3. Rubber Bush (Project Leader – Sam Wort)

Aim – Investigate the performance of the rubber bush for both soft and stiff positions.
Role – I was involved with the Experimental Testing and Theoretical Calculations.
Position Resonant Frequency
Soft 17.95 - 20.24 Hz
Hard 44.59 – 48.73 Hz
Experiment 1 – Transmission in the Soft Position
Frequency Frequency Calculated Accelerometer 1 Accelerometer 2 Transmissibility Dampening
Displayed on Signal from DAP View Results Output ( V a.c) Output ( V a.c) Ratio Ratio
Generator (Hz) ±1 (Hz) ± 0.0005V ± 0.0005V
10 10 ± 0.1 0.06 0.08 1.35 ± 0.04 0.37 ± 0.02
15 14.93 ± 0.22 0.11 0.08 0.68 ± 0.02 0.73 ± 0.03
20 19.61 ± 0.38 0.05 0.19 3.54 ± 0.02 0.14 ± 0.01
25 25.64 ± 0.66 0.16 0.12 0.74 ± 0.01 0.67 ± 0.02
30 30.3 ± 0.92 0.10 0.16 1.58 ± 0.03 0.32 ± 0.01
Experiment 2 – Transmission in the Hard Position
Frequency Frequency Calculated Accelerometer 1 Accelerometer 2 Transmissibility Dampening
Displayed on Signal from DAP View Results Output ( V a.c) Output ( V a.c) Ratio Ratio
Generator (Hz) ±1 (Hz) ± 0.0005V ± 0.0005V
35 35.71 ± 1.28 0.042 0.053 1.26 ± 0.05 0.40 ± 0.03
40 38.46 ± 1.48 0.033 0.048 1.45 ± 0.07 0.34 ± 0.04
45 45.45 ± 2.07 0.022 0.045 2.05 ± 0.14 0.24 ± 0.03
50 52.63 ± 2.77 0.012 0.031 2.58 ± 0.3 0.19 ± 0.04
55 55.56 ± 3.09 0.006 0.02 3.33 ± 0.72 0.15 ± 0.07
60 58.82 ± 3.46 0.006 0.006 1 ± 0.33 0.50 ± 0.33

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 13 of 16

5.4. Two Degrees of Freedom on Air Track (Project Leader – Alex Olivia)
Aim – Measure the stiffness and resonant frequencies of a coupled oscillator on an air-track. Compare these
values to those calculated theoretically.
Role – I was involved with the Experiment, specifically measuring spring stiffness.
Experiment 1 – Find the Force-Deformation Behaviour of the Rubber Bands

Spring Spring Constant Units

1 54.277 N/m
2 57.293 N/m
3 55.678 N/m
4 61.659 N/m
Experiment 2 – Measuring the Natural Frequency of an Oscillator

Frequency (Hz)
Experiment Experimental Analytical Difference
2 - Resonance 2.6 3.33 0.73

Experiment 3 – Coupled Oscillator

Frequency (Hz)
Experiment Experimental Analytical Difference
3- Oscillating in Unison 2 2.05 0.05
3- Oscillating Oppositely 3.8 3.56 0.24

Experiment 4 – Asymmetric Coupled Oscillator

Frequency (Hz)
Experiment Experimental Analytical Difference
4- Oscillating in Unison 2.1 2.38 0.28
4- Oscillating Oppositely 2.4 2.91 0.51

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 14 of 16

6. Appendix

Appendix Content 1 - Experiment 1 DAP View Results – Simple Vertical Translation (Test 1)

Appendix Content 2 - Experiment 1 DAP View – Simple Vertical Translation (Test 2)

Appendix Content 3 - Experiment 2 - DAP View Pitch Frequency

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 15 of 16

Appendix Content 4 - Experiment 3 - DAP View - 500 RPM (Left: Aligned, Right: 180)

Appendix Content 5 - Experiment 3 - DAP View - 520 RPM (Left: Aligned, Right: 180)

Appendix Content 6 - Experiment 3 - DAP View - 540 RPM (Left: Aligned, Right: 180)

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)

Student Number: 10038749 Dynamic Lab Report – Engine Dynamic Page 16 of 16

Appendix Content 7 - Experiment 3 - DAP View - 560 RPM (Left: Aligned, Right: 180)

For Initial Hand Calculations – See Separate Sheet

Appendix Content 8 - (Left: Engine Dynamics Rig, Right: Angle Setup for the Pistons)

Appendix Content 9 - (Left: DAP View, Right: Speed Controller)

Steven Goddard –Mechanical Engineering (Part Time)