CHAPTER I

HARMONIC VIBRATIONS OF SYSTEMS HAVING ONE

DEGREE OF FREEDOM
1. Free Harmonic Vibrations. If an elastic system, such as a loaded

beam, a twisted shaft or a deformed spring, be disturbed from its position

of equilibrium by an impact or by the sudden application and removal of
an additional force, the elastic forces of the member in the disturbed posi-
tion will no longer be in equilibrium with the loading, and vibrations will
ensue. Generally an elastic system can perform vibrations of different
modes. For instance, a string or a beam while vibrating may assume the
different shapes depending on the number of nodes subdividing the length
of the member. In the simplest cases the configuration of the vibrating
system can be determined by one quantity only. Such systems are called
systems having one degree of freedom.
Let us consider the case shown in Fig. 1. If the arrangement be such
that only vertical displacements of the weight W are
possible and the mass be small in compari-
of the spring
son with that of the weight W, the system can be
considered as having one degree of freedom. The
configuration will be determined completely by the
vertical displacement of the weight.

By an impulse or a sudden application and removal

of an external force vibrations of the system can be
produced. Such vibrations which are maintained by
the elastic force in the spring alone are called free or
natural vibrations. An analytical expression for these FIG. 1.
vibrations can be found from the differential equation
of motion, which always can be written down if the forces acting on the

moving body are known.

Let k denote the load necessary to produce a unit extension of the
spring. This quantity is called spring constant. If the load is measured in
pounds and extension in inches the spring constant will be obtained in Ibs.
per in. The static deflection of the spring under the action of the weight
W will be