Dynamics & Vibration: A 15-Minute
Overview
Introduction (1 minute)
● What are Dynamics?
○ The study of motion and its causes (forces).
○ Branch of mechanics dealing with forces and their effects on bodies in motion.
● What is Vibration?
○ The oscillatory motion of a body or system around an equilibrium position.
○ A subset of dynamics, focusing on repetitive motions.
● Why are they important?
○ Design & Safety: Ensuring structures (bridges, buildings), vehicles (cars, planes),
and machinery operate safely and efficiently.
○ Performance: Optimizing sports equipment, musical instruments, and electronic
devices.
○ Comfort & Noise: Minimizing unwanted oscillations in everyday objects.
I. Core Concepts in Dynamics (5 minutes)
A. Foundations: Newton's Laws of Motion
● Newton's First Law (Inertia): An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion
stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
● Newton's Second Law (Force & Acceleration): The acceleration of an object is
directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
○ F=ma
○ Where F is force, m is mass, a is acceleration.
● Newton's Third Law (Action-Reaction): For every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
B. Describing Motion
● Degrees of Freedom (DOF): The minimum number of independent coordinates
required to completely define the position of a system.
○ Example: A particle in 3D space has 3 DOF (x, y, z).
○ Example: A rigid body in 3D space has 6 DOF (3 translation, 3 rotation).
● Types of Motion:
○ Translation: Movement along a straight or curved path without rotation.
○ Rotation: Movement about an axis.
● Key Quantities:
○ Force (F): Push or pull.
○ Mass (m): Measure of inertia.
○ Acceleration (a): Rate of change of velocity.
○ Torque (τ): Rotational equivalent of force.
○ Moment of Inertia (I): Rotational equivalent of mass.
II. Core Concepts in Vibration (6 minutes)
A. Understanding Vibration
● Definition: Repetitive motion around an equilibrium position.
● Types of Vibration:
○ Free Vibration: Oscillation occurring without any external force acting on the
system, after an initial disturbance.
○ Forced Vibration: Oscillation caused by a continuous external exciting force.
○ Undamped Vibration: Idealized vibration where energy is not dissipated (e.g., no
friction).
○ Damped Vibration: Vibration where energy is dissipated due to resistance (e.g.,
air resistance, internal friction).
B. The Mass-Spring-Damper Model (Single Degree of Freedom -
SDOF)
● The most fundamental model for understanding vibration.
● Components:
○ Mass (m): The inertia of the system.
○ Spring (k): Restoring force (stiffness).
○ Damper (c): Energy dissipation (friction).
● Equation of Motion for Free Vibration (Undamped):
○ mx¨+kx=0
○ Where x is displacement, x¨ is acceleration.
C. Critical Parameters
● Natural Frequency (ωn): The frequency at which a system will oscillate if it is disturbed
and then left to vibrate freely.
○ For an undamped SDOF system:ωn=mk
(in radians/second)
○ Or, in Hz:fn=2π1mk
● Damping Ratio (ζ): A dimensionless measure describing how oscillations in a system
decay after a disturbance.
○ ζ<1: Underdamped (oscillates with decreasing amplitude)
○ ζ=1: Critically damped (returns to equilibrium fastest without oscillating)
○ ζ>1: Overdamped (returns to equilibrium slowly without oscillating)
D. Resonance: The Critical Phenomenon
● Definition: Occurs when the frequency of an external exciting force matches the
system's natural frequency.
● Effect: Leads to a dramatic increase in vibration amplitude, potentially causing
catastrophic failure.
● Example: Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse (wind exciting the bridge at its natural
frequency).
III. Applications & Mitigation (2 minutes)
A. Real-World Applications
● Structural Engineering: Designing buildings and bridges to withstand earthquakes and
wind loads (avoiding resonance).
● Mechanical Design: Balancing rotating machinery (engines, turbines) to reduce
vibration and noise.
● Automotive Industry: Designing suspension systems for comfort and handling.
● Aerospace: Minimizing aeroelastic flutter in aircraft wings.
● Acoustics: Understanding sound propagation and noise control.
B. Vibration Control Strategies
● Vibration Isolation: Preventing vibrations from being transmitted from a source to a
receiver (e.g., rubber mounts under washing machines).
● Vibration Damping: Dissipating vibratory energy, often through materials that convert
mechanical energy into heat (e.g., shock absorbers).
● Stiffening/Softening: Changing the natural frequency by altering mass or stiffness to
avoid resonance.
● Tuning: Adding a tuned mass damper to absorb specific frequencies.
Conclusion & Q&A (1 minute)
● Recap: Dynamics is about motion and forces; vibration is about oscillatory motion, with
natural frequency and resonance being key concepts.
● Takeaway: Understanding dynamics and vibration is crucial for designing safe, efficient,
and comfortable systems in engineering and everyday life.
● Further Exploration: Multi-degree of freedom systems, continuous systems, random
vibration, non-linear dynamics.
