Giuseppe Cuzzucoli

Transversal brace on a constrained table.

Summary of results.

1) Simulation of the behaviour of an orthotropic table, on which a vertical brace is glued. The
table is fully constrained.

2) The dimensions of the basic table are 300x200x2.5 mm.

3) The height of the brace ranges from 0 to 15 mm.

4) The material is Sitka Spruce, with following parameters:

E1 = 11907 E6 N / m2
E2 = 93079 E4 N / m2
Mass Density = 442.45 Kg / m 3
Shear Mod. = 76531 E4 N / m2
Poisson’s ratio = 0.372

5) The orientation is such that in the basic table the wood fibers are parallel to the main dimension,
while in the brace the fibers are perpendicular to the main dimension.

6) Figures from 1 to 4 report the variation of

- Modal frequency
- Modal displacement

of the first 20 modes, when the height of the brace applied to the table ranges from 0 mm. to
15 mm.

7) The modes are identified by two digits <x, y>, the first of which identifyes the number of
vertical nodal lines, the second the number of horizontal nodal lines.

8) The analysis covers the range of frequencies between 180 and 2000 Hz.

9) The results of the FEM simulation have been compared with the results of the mathematical
model of the basic table (without brace); the agreement is very good. I have no comparison with
a mathematical model of a braced table.

1
Fig. 1. Andamento delle frequenze e dei displacements per alcuni modi

2
Fig. 2. Andamento delle Frequenze e dei Displacements per alcuni modi
3
Fig. 3. Andamento della Frequenza e del Displacement per alcuni modi

4
Fig. 4. Andamento delle frequenze e dei displacements per alcuni modi

5
Remarks

1) Variation of the Frequency

• In all modes the modal frequency tends to increase with increasing the height of the brace,
probably because of the increased stiffness of the brace (which increases with the cube of
the height)

• For very low valus of the brace height, the modal frequency decreases, probably because in
this case the effect of the additional mass prevails on the increment of the stiffness. This
behaviour is present in all modes, but more evident in some of them.

• Over a certain height, the frequency doesn’t increase any more. This is evident in some
modes (see for example modes <02>, <01>, 03>, <23> ,<22>, <24>).
Probably this effect is common to all modes, but it is not evident for all modes within the
range of height which has been considered.

2) Variation of the Modal Displacement

• It is evident that for certain modes the displacement reaches a maximum for certain values
of the brace height. In particular, the displacement exibits some kind of antiresonance –
resonance which is more evident in some mode; see for ex. mode <02>

• It seems, within the range of heights which have been condidered, that the displacement
tends to decrease and then to increase. Probably this ‘resonance’ of the displacement would
occur at values which are out of the range here considered. See for ex. Mode <01>

• My hypothesis is that this ‘resonance’ of the displacement is present for all modes at a
certain value of the brace height, evenctually out of the range here considered. May be if the
height is very hight, the losses in the brace are also hight, and consequently the ‘resonance’
is not so evident, even is present.

• This evident behaviour of the ‘displacement resonance’ is, in my opinion, quite interesting
and new, and would require some mathematical modeling not yet implemented.

3) Modifications of the nodal lines and vibrating surfaces

• The nodal lines and the vibrating surfaces are modified by the brace which, in general, tends
to stiffen the area on which it is glued.

• For the modes for which the brace lies on a nodal line (Type1) the deformations in the
vibrating profiles are low; the areas of maximum displacement tend to move to the periphery
of the table.

6
 • On the contrary, when the brace crosses a vibrating surface, the deformations are consistent,
a part of the fundamental mode <00> which remains unchanged.

• The vibrating surfaces which are crossed by the brace tend to split in two cells at the right
and left side of the brace; these cells vibrate in phase.

• The cells which vibrate in phase tend to merge, generating vibrating surfaces very complex,
such that it is difficult to identify the order of the mode.

• In general, when the central zone is stiffened by the brace, the max displacement is pushed
out trough the periphery.

• In general, the deformation of the nodal lines and vibrating surfaces is relevant when there is
the ‘displacement resonance’. Out of this situation, the surfaces are quite regular.

For a close examination, see the document ‘catene-verticali’