ME 3060 Lab 3 Activities

Vibration of a Cantilever Beam – SDOF model

Objectives
a. Learn how to model a vibrating beam (continuous system) as a Single DOF system.
b. Determine equivalent spring constant and equivalent mass of a cantilever beam.
c. Determine the beam damping ratio by measuring a logarithmic decrement.
d. Compare natural frequencies obtained experimentally and via the SDOF model.

Apparatus Required
c-clamp
aluminum beam accelerometer
one LabPro unit and PC
end mass scales measure mass, length double-sided tape

I. Experiment Setup
a. Measure the masses (beam, accelerometer and end mass) and beam dimensions
b. Clamp the beam to the top of the bench. Measure the free length, L.

1. Record the mass of the aluminum beam.

2. Record the mass of the accelerometer.
3. Record the mass of the end mass.
4. Record the beam dimensions and determine the mass per unit length.
5. Record the length, L, of the beam that hangs off of the bench.

c. Attach the end mass to the aluminum beam.

d. Place the accelerometer on the beam using double sided sticky tape or a rubberband.
Make sure that the accelerometer is placed near the end of the beam.
e. Use your finger to give the end of the beam an initial displacement. Then, release the
beam and measure response with the PC Logger Pro. Alternatively, you can impose an
impulse on the beam by striking the end of it with a hard object. This acts like a system
with an initial velocity condition.
f. Does the acceleration plot look like you expected? You may need to change the
sampling rate of the data collection. Be sure that you are sampling at least 5X the
frequency that you want to capture.

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ME 3060 Lab 3 Activities

g. Open an FFT window to see the frequency response.

II. Calculations
You will be calculating a number of answers from measured data as directed below.
Replicate a table as shown below in your lab notebook (you may want to turn the lab book
sideways.) You will be using the calculations from questions 6-10 to fill the table in. Make sure
to write neatly and show all of your work.

L T ωd-time ωd-FFT Peak 1 Peak 2 δ ζ ωn-exp

k eqv
keqv meqv ω n− SDOF = % Diff
meqv

Aluminum Beam (E = 70 Gpa)

6. Determine the period of oscillation (T) for the system.
Determine E for "unknown"
7. Calculate ω from Tbeam material
(consider calculating this value from multiple runs and average the
d-time
Calculatedata
the modulus of result).
to get your elasticity of the unknown beam material (carbon fiber composite) from
the measurement of its natural frequency. (don't use an endmass)
8. Use the FFT plot to determine the ωd-FFT (remember to convert Hz to rad/s).
9. From the time trace, record the amplitude values for two consecutive peaks.
10. Determine the log decrement,δ using 9.
11. Calculate the damping ratio, ζ using the log decrement.
12. Use your answers from 7 and 11 to calculate ωn-exp.
13. Calculate the equivalent spring constant, keqv for the beam from your knowledge of
Mechanics of Materials.
14. Calculate the equivalent mass, meqv from the SDOF model for a beam with an end mass.
15. Calculate ωn-SDOF using the equivalent mass and stiffness.
16. Calculate the percent difference between 12 and 15.

III. Continuous Beam Test (fun stuff)

Try tapping a long composite beam at different locations along its length to excite
multiple frequencies of motion.

17. Record the three or four natural frequencies you read from the FFT plot.
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