TITLE – SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM

NAME – SITU PAUL

ROLL – 35000720068
DEPT. – MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SEMESTER – 7th
SUBJECT – MECHANICAL VIBRATION
SUBJECT CODE – PE - ME 702F
 DEGREE OF FREEDOM

Degree of freedom is defined as the minimum

number of independent variables required to define
the position or motion of a system is known as
degree of freedom. Degree of freedom is the
property of kinematic chain which shows that in
how many directions the connected links of the
kinematic can move freely. It is also known by
mobility.

In 3-D space system an unconstrained rigid body

possesses six degree of freedom. Total number of
motions in space is six as 3 are rotary and 3 are
translatory along x, y and z axis respectively. Here
DOF can also be defined as the subtraction of total
number of motions and the number of motions
restraints or arrested (those motions which are not
possible).
DOF = 6 – Restraints
❖ SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM SYSTEMS
➢ When it comes to engineering, it is often ideal to simplify a system in a way that
makes it easier to work out any necessary calculations. This process of modeling a
system is very common in a variety of engineering fields, and quite possibly the
simplest system that can be modeled is a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system.

SDOF systems may be simple, but they have actual applicability to various engineering
problems, and if an engineer is able to understand how an SDOF system can be
described and modeled using an equation, it is not much of a leap to go from there to
higher levels of engineering systems
❖ SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM SYSTEMS
➢ In the most general terms, an SDOF describes the motion of a system that is
constrained to only a single linear or angular direction. This means that the system
will only move in the x-, y-, or z-direction, or that the system will only rotate about
the x-, y-, or z-axis.

To put this in perspective, an airplane moves in six degrees of freedom: it moves

forward and backward in the x-direction, right and left in the y-direction, up and down
in the z-direction, rolls about the x-axis, pitches about the y-axis, and yaws about the z-
axis. But beginning with a system that is constrained to moving in only one of these six
ways provides a solid foundation for subsequent modeling of systems that move in
multiple ways.

The simplest SDOF system often describes a system that moves only linearly in the x-
or y-direction.
❖ DESCRIBING A SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM SYSTEM
➢ An SDOF is often described using a damped spring-mass system in the x-direction. A mass is attached
to a spring and a damper, which are both fixed at the opposite end. The system starts with some initial
displacement and velocity, although usually, the initial velocity is zero.

After the mass is released, it will oscillate or vibrate in the x-direction as the spring is stretched and
contracts. The damper, however, will reduce the magnitude of this oscillation until the mass is no longer
moving. In this system, things like gravity and friction are often ignored, although both can be included.

The way the system moves can be described using an equation of motion which satisfies Newton’s Second
Law. This law is simplified to the following F = ma
where F is a force acting on some mass, m, causing some acceleration, a. This equation can be rearranged
in countless ways, including to describe the motion of an SDOF system. This equation is referred to as the
equation of motion of the system.
❖ Equation of motion for a Single Degree of Freedom System
A mass suspended by a spring is a single degree of
freedom system (SDOF).
An SDOF system can be described by a second-order,
non-homogenous, ordinary differential equation (ODE).
This equation can be simplified as follows:

f(t)=mẍ + cvẋ + kx
Where, m is the mass,

cv is the damping coefficient,

k is the spring constant,
x is the linear displacement,
A mass suspended by a spring is a single ẋ is the linear velocity,
degree of freedom system (SDOF) ẍ is the linear acceleration.
Things like gravity and friction are to be included, they can be incorporated into the values of cv and k.

To solve this ODE, it is necessary to specify the initial conditions, which are usually as follows:

x (t0) = x0
ẋ (t0) = vo
where t0 is the initial time, x0 is the initial displacement, and v0 is the initial velocity. As stated earlier, the
initial velocity is usually zero, but it is not completely uncommon to have some initial velocity of the system.
The initial displacement can be set to zero, or some other value, usually

depending on the engineering preference or the types of values that the engineer will need in subsequent
calculations.

By solving this ODE, a plot of the system as a function of the time can be generated, which will show the
position of the mass oscillating with the oscillations becoming less and less until the mass stops moving.
❖ Solving the ODE for a Single Degree of Freedom System
➢ There are many ways to solve the type of ODE that is used to describe an
SDOF system. With advancements in computers, several solvers, including
online examples, have been developed. In fact, most engineers are going to
use some type of computer software to solve the ODE that describes their
SDOF system.

Whether the ODE is solved by hand or with a computer, the final solution will
provide the engineer with a numerical description of what the SDOF system is
doing. As discussed, for the simplest case of a damped spring-mass system, as
time varies, the linear x-position of the system will change, and these values can
be plotted against time.
❖ REAL-LIFE SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM SYSTEMS
While it is great to have a general concept that describes an SDOF system, these mathematical models can be used to
describe real systems that have actual purposes.

❖ Example SDOF systems

One such example is an accelerometer, which is used to determine how much an object accelerates in a given direction. As
the object moves, the attached accelerometer measures and reports that acceleration. In this case, the equation of motion
previously introduced can be reformatted as follows:

Where,

is the acceleration of the object and

Using the above equation with the specified coefficients cv and k, the acceleration of the object can be worked out and plotted
in a fashion like plotting the response of the SDOF system discussed earlier.
❖ Examples of applying SDOF systems
➢ When it comes to applying SDOF systems to actual engineering problems, it must be
remembered that what has been designed is a model of the system. Using this model, an
engineer will be able to evaluate the motion that the system will undergo under various
conditions. With this information, it is possible to determine if the system will experience
any undesired behaviour.

From the model of an SDOF system, an actual working system can be built. For example,
accelerometers are very common in several applications, and they can all trace their
operation to a model of an SDOF system. Depending on how accurate the calculations
involved in the model are, referred to as the fidelity of the model, the model will be able to
mimic the actual system to varying degrees of acceptability.