The University of Manitoba

Mid Term Exam

Department: Mechanical Engineering Course: MECH 3420 Vib. and Acoustics
Instructor: Dr. Nan Wu Date: Oct. 20 2021

1. a. Use one sentence to describe what is vibration? What are the key elements that have to be considered in a
structure/system making a vibration system? How do we define the number of degree of freedoms in a vibration system?
(Need to type your answer.) (10)

b. Determine number of degree of freedom of the systems below considering the beam mass by clarifying
your assumption. (5)

Figure 1

c. Find the nature frequency of the torsional vibration system as shown in figure 2 (side view) (the step shaft is holding
a disk at its free end rotating around the shaft centre axis) by ignoring the shaft mass. Shear modular of the shaft
material is G, the shaft section 1 is with diameter R, and the shaft section 2 is with diameter r, and the mass motion
of inertia of the disk is J. (Your answer should be hand-written) (10)

Figure 2

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 The University of Manitoba
Mid Term Exam
Department: Mechanical Engineering Course: MECH 3420 Vib. and Acoustics
Instructor: Dr. Nan Wu Date: Oct. 20 2021

2. Derive the vibration governing equation of the following systems and give their nature frequency (can use any
proper method): (Your answer should be hand-written)
a. In figure 3, a mass is hold by two cables connected by a pulley at the middle of a simply supported beam. The
massless beam has total length of l. The massless cable has diameter of A and length of h. (7)

Figure 3

b. In figure 4, the mass of the rotating bar (located horizontally at its equilibirum position) is M, and the
mass of the spring is ms. There is another concentrated mass, m, located at l from the rotating centre.
In this system, do we have stability problem (possiblly unstable)? Please explain (13)

Figure 4

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 The University of Manitoba
Mid Term Exam
Department: Mechanical Engineering Course: MECH 3420 Vib. and Acoustics
Instructor: Dr. Nan Wu Date: Oct. 20 2021

3. a. Please draw two single degree of freedom vibration systems that will never be un-stable. (hand drawing) (10)

b. 1) Derive the free vibration response function of pendulum system with initial rotating angle and velocity of
the pendulum bar, Ɵ0=0rad and 𝜃̇0 =5rad/s away from its equilibrium location (dot line). The uniform pendulum
bar has mass of M=0.6(kg) and length of L=0.5(m), m=1(kg), the spring located at l=0.3(m) away from the
rotating centre, o, has stiffness of k=10000(N/m), and spring is massless. (12)
2) Derive the free vibration response function of the same structure when it is located upside down. (8)
(Your answer should be hand-written)
o

Figure 5

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 The University of Manitoba
Mid Term Exam
Department: Mechanical Engineering Course: MECH 3420 Vib. and Acoustics
Instructor: Dr. Nan Wu Date: Oct. 20 2021
4. a. Drive the vibration governing equation of the system; determine its natural frequency; explain
when the system will NOT have free vibration response. (20)
b. If all constants in the system are known except the damping constant, under the same initial
condition leading to the free dynamic response of the system, please determine the damping
constant value making the system’s free response to be damped out in the shortest period.
Assume all cables are under tensile during the dynamic motion, the disk is thin and rolls without
slip. (5)
(Your answer should be hand-written)

Figure 6

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