School of Civil Engineering

Dynamics of Structures
Assignment 2
Summitted to:

Summitted by:

Prof. Lin Liu

Chinny Lyheang
ID: 15129120

2015-2016

HW2: Free Vibration of SDOF Systems

1. The packaging for an instrument can be modeled as shown in Fig. 4, in which the
instrument of mass m is restrained by springs of total stiffness k inside a container; m=10lb/g
and k = 50lb/in. The container is accidentally dropped from a height of 3 ft above the ground.

Assuming that it does not bounce on contact, determine the maximum deformation of the
packaging within the box and the maximum acceleration of the instrument.

Solution:
1. Compute the maximum deformation
u (0)
sin nt
By using u (t ) u (0) cos nt
n
We have : m = 10 lb/g , k = 50 lb/in ,h=3 ft.=36 in. , g =32.2 ft/s2=386.4 in/s2
mg 10
u (0)

0.2in
k
50
Determine the natural frequency.

k
kg
(50)(386.4)

43.95rad / sec
m
w
10

By using the law of energy conservation

E1 E2
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1
2
m u (0) mgh u (0) 2 gh
2

u(0) 2 gh 2(386.4)(36) 166.795in / sec

u (t ) u (0) cos nt

u (0)

sin nt

166.795
u (t ) (0.2) cos 43.95t
sin 43.95t
43.95
u (0)
[u(0) ]

where is the max imum deformation

0.22 (3.795) 2 3.8in

Therefore the maximum deformation is 3.8in
2. Compute the maximum acceleration
From u t cos nt
u t n sin nt
u (t ) n2 cos nt

umax n2

u0 n 2

k
50

3.8 19 g
m
10 / g

u0 19 g
Therefore the maximum deformation is u0 7340in / sec 2 19 g

2. You are hired by Shanghai Highway Corporation to perform a system identification study (i.e.
experimentally determine the dynamic structural properties) of a new bridge they recently constructed
in Shanghai. The Qi Dong Bridge is designed in two parts that together are 274 m long. The first part
consists of slab on precast concrete I-beams; this section is 152 m long. The second part is a concrete
box girder bridge spanning 122 m in total.

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You fly to Shanghai and install an accelerometer (that measures the vertical acceleration response of
the bridge) at the center of the bridge (as shown above). You employ a truck of a known weight, 40
metric tons, to drive over the bridge at the fixed speed of 40 km/hr. The following time-history of
response of the 122 m long box girder portion bridge, as measured by a wireless sensor with the
accelerometer attached is shown below (the y-axis represents acceleration in units of g):

Using the data collected (which will be given in a file named HW2QDB.mat), please perform a
system identification study of the bridge. In other words, please determine a primary natural frequency
of the bridge as well as its amount of damping.

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Solution
a. Determine the period
As the data of Matlab we can plot the graph like below :

After looking the harmonic we found 2 top peak of harmonic (see the figure)
We got n-period = 6
b. Log decrement to determine damping

u
ln i 2n
uik
ln 1.636 /1.154

0.925%
2 6
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c. Find the natural frequency n

(167.5 165.5)
0.333
6
2
2
n

18.87rad / s
Tn 0.333

Tn

3. An SDOF system consisting of a weight, spring, and friction device is shown in Fig. 5.
This device slips at a force equal to 10% of the weight, and the natural vibration period of the
system is 0.25sec. If this system is given an initial displacement of 2 in. and released, what
will be the displacement amplitude after six cycles? In how many cycles will the system
come to rest?

Solution
1. Calculate displacement amplitude after 6 cycles
We have: F = 0.1w; Tn = 0.25 sec, u0 2 in
k F w F

F 0.1w 0.1mg 0.1g

0.1g

2
2
k
k
k
n
2

Tn
0.1 386.4
uF
0.0612in.
(8 ) 2

uF

The reduction in displacement amplitude per cycle is

4uF 0.2448 in

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The displacement amplitude after 6 cycles is

u6 u0 6 4u f 2.0 6 4 0.0612 2.0 1.488 0.5312 in

2. How many cycles will the system come to rest?
Motion stops at the end of the half cycle for which the displacement amplitude is less than u F
. Displacement amplitude at the end of the 7th cycle is

u7 u0 7 4u f 2 7 0.2448 0.2864 is bigger than uf so the motions dont stop; at the

end of the 8th cycle is u7 u0 8 4u f 2 8 0.2448 0.0416 ; which is less than u F .
Therefore, the motion stops after 8 cycles.

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