Two Degree of Freedom System

Mechanical Vibration
Two degree-of-Freedom
Systems
Dr. Shivdayal Patel

IIITDM Jabalpur
Dr. Shivdayal Patel Assistant Professor Department Mechanical Engineering IIITDM Jabalpur (M.P.)
Introduction
• Systems that require two independent coordinates to describe their
motion are called two degree-of-freedom systems.
• There are two equations of motion for a two-degree-of-freedom system,
one for each mass (more precisely, for each degree of freedom). They
are generally in the form of coupled differential equations that is, each
equation involves all the coordinates.
• The general rule for the computation of the number of degrees of
freedom can be stated as follows:
• If a harmonic solution is assumed for each coordinate, the equations of
motion lead to a frequency equation that gives two natural frequencies
for the system.
• If we give suitable initial excitation, the system vibrates at one of these
natural frequencies.
• During free vibration at one of the natural frequencies, the amplitudes of
the two degrees of freedom (coordinates) are related in a specific
manner and the configuration is called a normal mode, principal mode,
or natural mode of vibration. Thus, a two-degree-of-freedom system has
two normal modes of vibration corresponding to the two natural
frequencies.
• If we give an arbitrary initial excitation to the system, the resulting free
vibration will be a superposition of the two normal modes of vibration.
• If the system vibrates under the action of an external harmonic force, the
resulting forced harmonic vibration takes place at the frequency of the
applied force.
• Under harmonic excitation, resonance occurs (i.e., the amplitudes of the
two coordinates will be maximum) when the forcing frequency is equal
to one of the natural frequencies of the system.
Equations of Motion for Forced Vibration
Consider a viscously damped two-degree-of-freedom spring-mass system,
shown in Figure. The motion of the system is completely described by the
coordinates x1(t) and x2(t), which define the positions of the masses m1
and m2 at any time t from the respective equilibrium positions. The external
forces F1(t) and F2(t) act on the masses m1 and m2 respectively.
The application of Newton s second law of motion to each of the masses
gives the equations of motion:
The above equations represent a system of two coupled second-order

differential equations.
In matrix form,
These matrices can be seen to be symmetric, so that
where the superscript T denotes the transpose of the matrix.

• Notice that the equations of motion become uncoupled (independent of
one another) only when c2 = k2 = 0, which implies that the two masses
m1 and m2 are not physically connected. In such a case, the matrices
[m], [c], and [k] become diagonal.
• The solution of the equations of motion for any arbitrary forces f1(t) and
f2(t) is difficult to obtain, mainly due to the coupling of the variables
x1(t) and x2(t).
Free-Vibration Analysis of an Undamped System
For the free-vibration analysis of the system shown in Figure, we set f1(t) =
f2(t) = 0. Further, if damping is disregarded, c1 = c2 = c3 = 0, and the
equations of motion reduce to
We are interested in knowing whether m1and m2 can oscillate harmonically

with the same frequency and phase angle but with different amplitudes.
Assuming that it is possible to have harmonic motion of m1and m2 at the
same frequency ω and the same phase angle Φ, we take the solutions of
Eqs. as
where X1 and X2 are constants that denote the maximum amplitudes of

x1(t) and x2(t) and Φ is the phase angle.
Substituting, we obtain
Since the equation must be satisfied for all values of the time t, the terms
between brackets must be zero. This yields
which represent two simultaneous homogenous algebraic equations in the

unknowns X1 and X2. It can be seen that equation is satisfied by the trivial
solution X1 = X2 = 0,which implies that there is no vibration. For a
nontrivial solution of X1 and X2, the determinant of the coefficients of X1
and X2 must be zero:
The equation is called the frequency or characteristic equation because its
solution yields the frequencies or the characteristic values of the system.
The roots of equation are given by
This shows that it is possible for the system to have a nontrivial harmonic
solution of the form when ω is equal to ω1 and ω2. We call ω1 and ω2 the
natural frequencies of the system.
We shall denote the values of X1and X2 corresponding to ω1 as X1(1)and
X2(1) those corresponding to ω2 as X1(2) and X2(2) Further, since Eq. (5.8) is
homogenous, only the ratios can be
found.
For ω2 = ω12 and ω2 = ω22, equation gives
Notice that the two ratios given for each ri (i = 1, 2) are identical. The
normal modes of vibration corresponding to ω12 and ω22 can be expressed,
respectively, as
The vectors , which denote the normal modes of vibration,

are known as the modal vectors of the system.
The free-vibration solution or the motion in time can be expressed as
Initial Conditions. As stated earlier, each of the two equations of motion

involves second-order time derivatives; hence we need to specify two initial
conditions for each mass. The system can be made to vibrate in its ith
normal mode (i = 1, 2) by subjecting it to the specific initial conditions
However, for any other general initial conditions, both modes will be
excited.
The resulting motion, which is given by the general solution can be
obtained by a linear superposition of the two normal modes:
where c1and c2 are constants. Since already involve the

unknown constants X1(1)and X2(1), we can choose c1 = c2 = 1 with no loss
of generality. Thus the components of the vector can be expressed,
using c1 = c2 = 1 as
where the unknown constants X1(1), X2(1), Φ1 and Φ2 can be determined

from the initial conditions:
Equation can be regarded as four algebraic equations in the unknowns
The solution of Eq. (5.17)
can be expressed as
from which we obtain the desired solution:
Frequencies of Spring-Mass System
Example: Find the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a

spring-mass system, shown in Figure, which is constrained to
move in the vertical direction only. Take n = 1.
Solution: The equations of motion are given by
By assuming harmonic solution as
the frequency equation can be obtained by substituting
The solution gives the natural frequencies
The amplitude ratios are given by
The natural modes are given by
It can be seen that when the system vibrates in its first mode, the amplitudes
of the two masses remain the same. This implies that the length of the
middle spring remains constant. Thus, the motions of m1 and m2 are in
phase. When the system vibrates in its second mode, the displacements of
the two masses have the same magnitude with opposite signs. Thus the
motions of m1 and m2 are 180° out of phase. In this case, the midpoint of
the middle spring remains stationary for all time t. Such a point is called a
node. Thus, the motion (general solution) of the system can be expressed as
Initial Conditions to Excite Specific Mode
Example: Find the initial conditions that need to be applied to

the system shown in Figure, so as to make it vibrate in (a) the
first mode, and (b) the second mode.
Solution:
Approach: Specify the solution to be obtained for the first or second mode
from the general solution for arbitrary initial conditions and solve the
resulting equations.
In the present case, r1 = 1 and r2 = -1, so for arbitrary initial conditions, the
motion of the masses is described by
Assuming the initial conditions, the constants can be obtained
a. The first normal mode of the system is given by
Comparison shows that the motion of the system is identical with the first
normal mode only if This requires that
b. The second normal mode of the system is given by
Comparison of Eqs. (E.1) and (E.8) shows that the motion of the system
coincides with the second normal mode only if This implies that
Free-Vibration Response of a Two-Degree-of-Freedom
System
Example:
Solution: For the given data, the eigenvalue problem becomes
By setting the determinant of the coefficient matrix to zero, we obtain the

frequency equation
The free-vibration responses of the masses m1 and m2 are given by
The solution yields
Torsional System
Consider a torsional system consisting of two discs mounted on a shaft. The
three segments of the shaft have rotational spring constants kt1, kt2, and
kt3, as indicated in the figure. Also shown are the discs of mass moments of
inertia J1 and J2, the applied torques Mt1 and Mt2, and the rotational
degrees of freedom θ1 and θ2. The differential equations of rotational
motion for the discs J1 and J2 can be derived as
For the free-vibration analysis of the system, Equation reduces to
Natural Frequencies of a Torsional System
Example: Find the natural frequencies and mode shapes for the
torsional system shown in Figure for J1 = J0, J2 = 2J0, and kt1
= kt2 = kt.
Solution: The differential equations of motion reduce to (with kt3 = 0, kt1 =
kt2 = kt, J1 = J0, J2 = 2J0)
The solution gives the natural frequencies
Natural Frequencies of a Marine Engine Propeller
Example: The schematic diagram of a marine engine connected

to a propeller through gears is shown in Fig. 5.10(a). The mass
moments of inertia of the flywheel, engine, gear 1, gear 2, and
the propeller (in kg-m2) are 9000, 1000, 250, 150, and 2000,
respectively. Find the natural frequencies and mode shapes of
the system in torsional vibration.
Solution
Approach: Find the equivalent mass moments of inertia of all rotors with
respect to one rotor and use a two-degree-of-freedom model.
Assumptions:
1. The flywheel can be considered to be stationary (fixed), since its mass
moment of inertia is very large compared to that of other rotors.
2. The engine and gears can be replaced by a single equivalent rotor. Since
gears 1 and 2 have 40 and 20 teeth, shaft 2 rotates at twice the speed of
shaft 1. Thus the mass moments of inertia of gear 2 and the propeller,
referred to the engine, are given by
Since the distance between the engine and the gear unit is small, the engine
and the two gears can be replaced by a single rotor with a mass moment of
inertia of
Assuming a shear modulus of 80 * 109 N/m2 for steel, the torsional
stiffnesses of shafts 1 and 2 can be determined as
Since the length of shaft 2 is not negligible, the propeller is assumed to be a

rotor connected at the end of shaft 2. Thus the system can be represented as
a two-degree-of-freedom torsional system. By setting k3 = 0, k1 = kt1, k2 =
kt2, m1 = J1, and m2 = J2, the natural frequencies of the system can be
found as
Thus the mode shapes can be determined from an equation as
Coordinate Coupling and Principal Coordinates
As stated earlier, an n-degree-of-freedom system requires n independent
coordinates to describe its configuration. Usually, these coordinates are
independent geometrical quantities measured from the equilibrium position
of the vibrating body. However, it is possible to select some other set of n
coordinates to describe the configuration of the system. The latter set may
be, for example, different from the first set in that the coordinates may have
their origin away from the equilibrium position of the body. There could be
still other sets of coordinates to describe the configuration of the system.
Each of these sets of n coordinates is called the generalized coordinates.
We shall derive the equations of motion of the lathe using two different sets
of coordinates to illustrate the concept of coordinate coupling.
• Equations of Motion Using x(t) and θ(t). From the free-body diagram
shown in Figure, with the positive values of the motion variables as
indicated, the force equilibrium equation in the vertical direction can be
written as
It can be seen that each of these equations contain x and θ. They become
independent of each other if the coupling term (k1l1 - k2l2) is equal to zero
- that is, if k1l1 ≠ k2l2, If the resultant motion of the lathe AB is both
translational and rotational when either a displacement or torque is applied
through the C.G. of the body as an initial condition. In other words, the
lathe rotates in the vertical plane and has vertical motion as well, unless
k1l1 - k2l2. This is known as elastic or static coupling.
• Equations of Motion Using y(t) and θ(t). From Figure, where y(t) and
θ(t) are used as the generalized coordinates of the system, the equations
of motion for translation and rotation can be written as
Both the equations of motion represented by Eqn contain y and θ, so they
are coupled equations. They contain static (or elastic) as well as dynamic
(or mass) coupling terms. If the system will have dynamic or
inertia coupling only. In this case, if the lathe moves up and down in the y
direction, the inertia force which acts through the center of gravity of the
body, induces a motion in the θ direction, by virtue of the moment
Similarly, a motion in the direction induces a motion of the lathe in the y
direction due to the force
Note the following characteristics of these systems:
1. In the most general case, a viscously damped two-degree-of-freedom
system has equations of motion in the following form:
This equation reveals the type of coupling present. If the stiffness matrix is
not diagonal, the system has elastic or static coupling. If the damping matrix
is not diagonal, the system has damping or velocity coupling. Finally, if the
mass matrix is not diagonal, the system has mass or inertial coupling. Both
velocity and mass coupling come under the heading of dynamic coupling.
2. The system vibrates in its own natural way regardless of the
coordinates used. The choice of the coordinates is a mere convenience.
3. From Eqs, it is clear that the nature of the coupling depends on the
coordinates used and is not an inherent property of the system. It is
possible to choose a system of coordinates q1(t) and q2(t) which give
equations of motion that are uncoupled both statically and dynamically.
Such coordinates are called principal or natural coordinates. The main
advantage of using principal coordinates is that the resulting uncoupled
equations of motion can be solved independently of one another.
Principal Coordinates of Spring-Mass System
Example: Determine the principal coordinates for the spring-

mass system shown in Figure.
Solution: Define two independent solutions as principal coordinates and
express them in terms of the solutions x1(t) and x2(t).
The general motion of the system is given by
where
We define a new set of coordinates such that
Since q1(t) and q2(t) are harmonic functions, their corresponding equations
of motion can be written as
These equations represent a two-degree-of-freedom system whose natural

frequencies are and Because there is neither static
nor dynamic coupling in the equations of motion, q1(t) and q2(t) are
principal coordinates. From Eqs., we can write
The solution of Eqs. gives the principal coordinates:
Frequencies and Modes of an Automobile
Example: Determine the pitch (angular motion) and bounce

(up-and-down linear motion) frequencies and the location of
oscillation centers (nodes) of an automobile with the following
data
Mass (m) = 1000 kg
Radius of gyration (r) = 0.9 m
Distance between front axle and C.G. (l1) = 1.0 m
Distance between rear axle and C.G. (l2) = 1.5 m
Front spring stiffness (kf) = 18 kN/m
Rear spring stiffness (kr) = 22 kN/m
Solution: If x and θ are used as independent coordinates, the equations of
motion are given by Eq. with k1 = kf, k2 = kr, and J0 = mr2. For free
vibration, we assume a harmonic solution:
from which the frequency equation can be derived:
With these values, the ratio of amplitudes can be found as
The node locations can be obtained by noting that the tangent of a small
angle is approximately equal to the angle itself. Thus, we find that the
distance between the C.G. and the node is -2.6461 m for ω1 and 0.3061 m
for ω2. The mode shapes are shown by dashed lines in Figure.
Forced-Vibration Analysis
The equations of motion of a general two-degree-of-freedom system under
external forces can be written as
We shall consider the external forces to be harmonic:
where ω is the forcing frequency. We can write the steady-state solutions as
where and are, in general, complex quantities that depend on and the system
parameters.
Substituting,
we define the mechanical impedance as
By substituting, we can find the complete solution, x1(t)and x2(t).
Steady-State Response of Spring-Mass System
Example: Find the steady-state response of the system shown

in Figure when the mass m1 is excited by the force F1(t) = F10
cos ωt. Also, plot its frequency-response curve.
Solution: The equations of motion of the system can be expressed as
Hence and are given by
By defining ω12 = k/m and ω22 = 3k/m,
The responses X1 and X2 are shown in Figure in terms of the

dimensionless parameter ω/ω1. In this parameter, ω1 was selected
arbitrarily; ω2 could have been selected just as easily. It can be seen that the
amplitudes X1 and X2 become infinite when ω2 = ω12 or ω2 = ω22. Thus
there are two resonance conditions for the system: one at ω1 and another at
ω2. At all other values of ω, the amplitudes of vibration are finite.
There is a particular value of the frequency ω at which the vibration of the
first mass m1, to which the force f1(t) is applied, is reduced to zero. This
characteristic forms the basis of the dynamic vibration absorber
Transfer-Function Approach
The transfer function of a differential equation denotes the ratio of the
Laplace transform of the response (output) function to the Laplace
transform of the forcing (input) function, assuming zero initial conditions.
For the two-degree-of-freedom system, the equations of motion are
By taking Laplace transforms, assuming zero initial conditions, we obtain
Equations indicate two simultaneous linear algebraic equations in X1(s) and
X2(s). These can be solved using Cramer s rule as
Notes:
1. The denominator, D(s), in the expressions of X1(s) and X2(s), is a fourth-
order polynomial in s and denotes the characteristic polynomial of the
system. Because the characteristic polynomial is of order four, the model
(or system) is said to be a fourth-order model (or system).
2. Equations permit us to apply inverse Laplace transforms to obtain the
fourth-order differential equations for x1(t) and x2(t), respectively.
3. Equations can be used to derive the transfer functions of x1(t) and x2(t)
corresponding to any specified forcing function.

Two Degree of Freedom System

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Two Degree of Freedom System

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Mechanical Vibration

Dr. Shivdayal Patel

The above equations represent a system of two coupled second-order

where the superscript T denotes the transpose of the matrix.

We are interested in knowing whether m1and m2 can oscillate harmonically

where X1 and X2 are constants that denote the maximum amplitudes of

which represent two simultaneous homogenous algebraic equations in the

The vectors , which denote the normal modes of vibration,

Initial Conditions. As stated earlier, each of the two equations of motion

where c1and c2 are constants. Since already involve the

where the unknown constants X1(1), X2(1), Φ1 and Φ2 can be determined

from which we obtain the desired solution:

Example: Find the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a

By assuming harmonic solution as

the frequency equation can be obtained by substituting

The solution gives the natural frequencies

The natural modes are given by

Example: Find the initial conditions that need to be applied to

Assuming the initial conditions, the constants can be obtained

By setting the determinant of the coefficient matrix to zero, we obtain the

The solution gives the natural frequencies

Example: The schematic diagram of a marine engine connected

Since the length of shaft 2 is not negligible, the propeller is assumed to be a

Example: Determine the principal coordinates for the spring-

These equations represent a two-degree-of-freedom system whose natural

The solution of Eqs. gives the principal coordinates:

Example: Determine the pitch (angular motion) and bounce

from which the frequency equation can be derived:

With these values, the ratio of amplitudes can be found as

We shall consider the external forces to be harmonic:

where ω is the forcing frequency. We can write the steady-state solutions as

we define the mechanical impedance as

Example: Find the steady-state response of the system shown

Hence and are given by

The responses X1 and X2 are shown in Figure in terms of the

By taking Laplace transforms, assuming zero initial conditions, we obtain

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