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Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388

12th International Conference on Vibration Problems, ICOVP 2015

Random Vibration Analysis for Starter Motor of Three Wheeler

Automobile
Rameshwar Kendrea*
a
L.G. Balakrishnan and Bros Ltd.,Choudhari Nagar,Jalna 431203, India

Abstract

Automobile industries have prime importance to vibration testing. Sine vibration testing is performed when we have been given
with only one frequency at given time instant. Trend to perform random vibration testing has been increased in recent times. As
random vibration takes into account all excited frequencies in defined spectrum at known interval of time, it gives real-time data
of vibration severities. The vibration severity is expressed in terms of Power Spectral Density (PSD). The consideration in the
paper is based on the fact that we will be dealing with only random vibration. Aim of paper is to perform random vibration
analysis for starter motor mounted on an engine and also find its transmissibility value.
© 2016
© 2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICOVP 2015.
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICOVP 2015
Keywords:Structural vibartion anlysis; Root mean square (RMS) value; Transmissibility.

1. Introduction

Manual starting of an engine has an issue of causing jerk or an injury to the operating person. The advent of
Starter Motor (SM) made it easy to start an engine by electrical means and solved the issue of hand-cranking the
engine manually. Basically motor engages with flywheel for 0.01 to 1 second. Once engine gets started SM will
switch off and it will remain as a structural component. Hence, we will be considering SM as a structure and analyze
how much vibration it can transmit, if it is mounted like a cantilever beam. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of SM is
performed with the help of ANSYS (Workbench 14.5) software. FEA result is then compared with experimental
result.

* Corresponding author. Tel.:+91-942-221-5416.

E-mail address:kendre.rameshwar@gmail.com

1877-7058 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICOVP 2015
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.05.168
1382 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388

1.1. Mounting of SM

Engine of three wheeler vehicle is shown in Fig. 1. SM has a pinion that engages with the spur gear of flywheel
in order to start engine rotation.

Fig. 1. Engine of three wheeler vehicle

2. Literature review

First mathematical analysis on the movement of particles suspended in a liquid medium is performed by Einstein.
The conclusion of his study was the movement of particle is a function of mass and geometry of particle and also it
depends on physical property of liquid medium. As this solution yielded probabilistic behaviour of mass and damper
of mechanical system, his work could be considered as first initial solution to random vibration problems [1].
The term spectral density as a quantitative description of random process was defined by Weiner. When the
inputs and responses are of finite duration, direct Fourier analysis can be used [2]. Therefore, spectral density can
also be defined using autocorrelation function. He also pointed out that mean square of random process is the area
under spectral density curve. The topic of random vibration of mechanical system was made accessible to practicing
engineers by Crandall. He developed a single input single output relation for randomly excited linear system in
terms of autocorrelation [1].
Irvine (2000) analyzed flight accelerometer data from various launch vehicles. He discussed PSD and its unit in
details [3].In order to proceed for random vibration testing the frequency range, Acceleration Spectral Density
(ASD) and duration of testing must be known. Total time duration of testing is divided equally among three
mutually perpendicular axes [4]. ASD and PSD are of same unit expressed in terms of [g 2/Hz] or [((m/sec2)2)/Hz].
Kendre et al. (2014) performed the analytical formulation to find RMS value of SM assuming it as a cantilever
beam which is fixed at one end and other end is free [5].

3. Components of SM

Components of SM are shown in Fig. 2. Important components of SM and their functions are as followed,

x Front end cover (FEC) - To provide mounting space for attaching the bolts.
x Pinion- To provide necessary torque to start an engine.
x Lever- To provide the required amount of force for engagement and disengagement of pinion.
x Rear ends cover (REC) - To hold the brush plate assembly.
 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388 1383

x Solenoid- It provides necessary push pull action for operating a lever.

Fig. 2. Components of SM

4. Finite element analysis

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of SM is performed using ANSYS (Workbench-14.5). Spending a sufficient time
on studying imported geometry and performing auto mesh for initial trials the fine meshing is done. Since SM
model is having solid elements the tetrahedral meshing is used for FEA analysis as shown in Fig.3. Different
materials and their properties considered for FEA are given in Table 1.

Table 1. Considerations of FEA.

Part name Material name Density Poisson’s Young’s
(kg/m3) ratio modulus (Pa)
FEC & REC Aluminum alloy 2.77 0.33 7.1e10
O-rings Nitrile rubber 1.00 0.49 5e6
Solenoid end cover Bakelite 1.24 0.4 3.4e9
Remaining parts Structural steel 7.85 0.3 2e11

Fig. 3. Side view of meshing of SM

1384 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388

4.1. Static structural

In this step, considering each mass as a point load. The loading conditions of pinion, shaft and solenoid are added
to SM model. Two holes provided for mounting of SM are treated as a fixed support as shown in Fig.4. Static forces
applied are shown in Fig. 5. They are described in Table 2.

Fig. 4. Fixing support A (shown in blue label)

Fig. 5. Description of static forces applied (B,C and D.)

Table 2. All values of applied force

Name Force (N) Description
A - Fixing support of SM
B 5.2 Weight of armature and commutator’s
C 1.255 Weight of two oil bearings and over running clutch
D 3 Weight of coil and bobbin

4.2. Modal analysis

It is pre-requisite for random vibration analysis. Aim is to determine mode shapes and their corresponding
frequencies. Here, only up to 6 modes are considered as the range of random vibration testing is 10 Hz to 2000Hz.
First 6 modal frequencies are found to be 328.39Hz, 1057.8 Hz, 1340.8 Hz, 1513.6 Hz, 2075.7Hz and 2099.3 Hz
respectively.
 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388 1385

4.3. Random vibration analysis

Values for input PSD are selected according to SAE Standard-J1455 (August-94) and US Military Standard
(MIL-STD-810G) [6, 7]. Multiplication factor of 9.812 should be used if we want to convert unit of PSD from
[g2/Hz] to [((m/sec2)2)/Hz]. Table 3 shows the input PSD table for three axes. As the component of gravitational
acceleration is acting along vertical direction the maximum severity is seen here therefore RMS is high as compare
to other two directions. If motor sustains these vibrations, it will also sustain vibrations along transverse and
longitudinal axis. Therefore, PSD is applied along only vertical axis (Z-axis). Multiply RMS value (if given in
terms of g) by 9.81. Hence, Input RMS is 10.20.

Table 3. Actual readings of input

Vertical Direction Transverse Direction Longitudinal Direction
Frequency PSD Frequency PSD Frequency PSD
(Hz) (g2/Hz) (Hz) (g2/Hz) (Hz) (g2/Hz)
10 0.0150 10 0.00013 10 0.00650
40 0.0150 20 0.00065 20 0.00650
500 0.00015 30 0.00065 120 0.00020
RMS =1.04g 78 0.00002 121 0.00300
79 0.00019 200 0.00300
120 0.00019 240 0.00150
500 0.00001 340 0.00003
RMS = 0.20g 500 0.00015
RMS = 0.74g

4.4. Response PSD

It is collected at the rear end cover. Output of response PSD is shown in Fig 15. After knowing the response PSD
value, find the RMS value as specified by Simmons approach [8]. It was found to be 12.74.

4.5. Transmissibility of SM

According to Harris shock and Vibration Handbook, transmissibility is the dimensionless ratio of output response
to input excitation provided. Ratio may be the division of displacements or velocities or accelerations [9].

Outputrms 12.74
Transmissibility 1.2490 (1)
Inputrms 10.20

Therefore, the transmissibility value along vertical axis is found to be 1.2490.

5. Testing procedure

The schematic diagram for vibration test setup has been shown in Fig.6. PSD table (Digital form of signal) is
given as an input to computer which is then transferred to shaker table in analogue form via pre-amplifier. Role of
pre-amplifier is to amplify the signals to required levels if necessary.
The fixture is mounted on test rig with the help of five M10 sized bolts. Aluminum fixture is used to mount SM
with the help of two M8 sized bolts [11]. Two accelerometers having sensitivity of 102 [mV/g] are used. One is
1386 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388

mounted at vibration rig and other is mounted at rear end cover of SM (Being a farthest point, its transmissibility
can be studied) as shown in Fig.7.

Fig. 6. Schematic diagram of vibration test setup

Fig. 7.Side view of vibration test setup

5.1. Calculation of number of testing hours

All the calculations are based on the assumption that SM is mounted on an engine of three wheeler automobile
moving with speed of 40 km/hour and is used for 1000 hours/year approximately. Also, the life span of SM is
assumed to be 10 years. According to SAE J1455 and MIL-STD-810E, 1 hour of testing is equivalent to 1609.34 km
of use on any of three mutually perpendicular axes. Therefore, 248.54 is an hours of testing required per life of
motor. It is also known as uncompressed testing time for performing random vibration analysis of SM. In order to
reduce testing duration following Eq. 2 is used [10].Where, C is fatigue exponent having value 6.4. PSD1 is original
PSD value obtained from road data and PSD2 is scaled up PSD value for compressed test duration. T1 and T2 are
uncompressed time duration for testing and compressed time duration for testing.Equation 2 shows that scaling up
the PSD value will compress 248.54 hours of testing to 1 hour. Point to be noted here is the PSD values provided in
SAE J1455 and MIL-STD-810E are already scaled up values.

PSD1 PSD1
PSD 2 1 1
2.36 u PSD1 (2)
§T2· C § 1 · 6.4
¨ ¸ ¨ ¸
© T1 ¹ © 248.54 ¹
 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388 1387

5.2. Experimental result

Result obtained after experimentation is shown in Fig. 8. It can be observed that there are number of peaks seen
along PSD line (seen in Blue color). Indication lines ring the alarm if PSD of vibration setup reaches beyond the
given set points of ± 3 dB and ± 6 dB levels as shown by Yellow and Red lines.

Fig. 8. Experimental result

6. Correlation of result

FEA and experimental results are plotted on log-log scale using MATLAB 7.7.0. FEA result shows the maximum
transmissibility when system reaches its first fundamental mode of frequency at 328 Hz. Whereas, the peaks in
experimental result are obtained after attaining nearly 250 to 450 Hz which means system is reaching its first
fundamental mode between this range of frequency. FEA result (shown in Blue) and experimental result (shown in
Red) of PSD value are compared by considering eight lines drawn equidistantly from left to right as shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9. Comparison of FEA and experimental result

1388 Rameshwar Kendre / Procedia Engineering 144 (2016) 1381 – 1388

Table 4. Correlation of FEA and experimental result

Line Experimental response FEA response Correlation
No. PSD value PSD value (%)
(g2/Hz)
(g2/Hz)
1 0.02 0.015 0.5
2 0.0152 0.0151 0.01
3 0.01 0.009 0.1
4 0.005 0.005 0
5 0.0035 0.0031 0.04
6 0.00135 0.00135 0
7 0.0008 0.00112 0.032
8 6.9e-5 0.0002 0.01307

From the Table 4 it is clear that, as there is average percentage difference of 0.078% in FEA and experimental
result of PSD value, hence obtained results are very close to each other. SM will not damage until it reaches the
value of second fundamental mode of vibration which is at 1057 Hz. It is far beyond the range of frequency for
random vibration testing which is 500 Hz.

7. Conclusion

The transmissibility of starter motor along vertical direction is found to be 1.2490. Increment in transmissibility
is seen when system starts reaching its natural frequency due to effect of resonance. This study gives the
methodology to understand the energy absorbed and transmitted in vertical direction by giving an input in terms of
PSD value. Also, there is a good correlation between FEA and experimental result of PSD value.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Mr. Ramesh Gandhi and Mr. Sathish Kumar (R&D Dept., Varroc Engineering
Pvt. Ltd, Plant III, Pune) for providing necessary data for this project. Also, vote of thanks to Prof.
RatnakarGhorpade and Prof. SatishPrabhune (Faculty Members, M.I.T, Pune) for their help in initial study and
correlation of result.

References

[1] T. Paez, The History of Random Vibrations through 1958, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 20 (2006) 1783 – 1818.
[2] W. Thomson, Theory of vibration with application, Prientice Hall, New Jersy, 1981.
[3] T. Irvine, Power Spectral Density Units:[g2/Hz], Vibrationdata Publication, 2000, pp. 1– 10.
[4] IS: Basic Environmental Testing Procedure for Electronic and Electrical Items–Part 32 (9000:2006), Indian Standards (IS), (2006) 1–73.
[5] R. Kendre, S. Prabhune, R. Ghorpade, Response of Starter Motor of an Engine Subjected to Random Vibrations, Applied Mechanics and
Materials Jounal (AMM), 612 (2014) 9–16.
[6] SAE: Environmental Practices for Electronic Equipment Design–Aug 1994, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), J1455 (1994) 1-51.
[7] MIL–STD: Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratry Tests–Parts (810E and 810G), Military Standard (MIL-STD), USA,
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[8] R.Simmons, FEMCI The Book, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), (1997) 1– 2.
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[10] D. Stienberg, Vibration Analysis of Electronic Equipment, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1988.
[11] R. Kendre, R. Ghorpade, S. Prabhune, Evaluation of Transmissibility of Starter Motor on an Engine Subjected to Random Vibrations,
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