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Final Report: Problem Situation

Andrea Huerta Garduño, Araceli Becerra Castro, Camila Franco Morales, Jimena
Zesati Capote, Paulina Cires Balcazar

Tecnológico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences

Abstract

The main objective of this laboratory was to determine which fluid from the ones chosen,
honey or gel, would be a better car shock absorber. In order to determine this, it was
necessary to calculate γ-value, the damping constant (b), and their respective errors for each
fluid. The tool Tracker was used in order to analyze the critical damping motion of the
spring-mass system, and its restitution force through the use of a fluid. The data gathered was
computed with help of Matlab, thus obtaining the γ-value and its correspondent error. With
this value, it was possible to calculate the damping constant, and its error. When comparing
the results from both fluids, it was observed that the fluid that acts as a better shock absorber
would be the honey. When analyzing the data, it was observed that this fluid behaved more as
a critical damping, when compared to the gel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the main
objective for this laboratory was successfully achieved.

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Objective:
To study the damped oscillations of a spring-mass system submerged in two different viscous
fluids in order to compute the γ-value, the damping constant 𝑏, and its respective errors.
These values will help determine which liquid acts better as a shock absorber for a vehicle
suspension.

Introduction

As the number of unpaved roads, bumps and potholes increased over time, the automobile
industry looked for a way to increase comfort on cars by implementing shock absorbers.
Currently, shock absorbers are considered one of the most important elements in a vehicle
suspension system as they provide better handling, comfort and safety while driving by
controlling the damping of the relative movement between the wheel and the car. There are
several types of shock absorbers using viscous fluids such as oil, or in some cases gas.
(Konieczny, 2016) Shock absorbers can be studied as Damped Motion systems. As an
oscillation progressively reduces over time and eventually stops moving altogether, this is
referred to as damping motion. The friction, which in this instance is referred to as damping,
is what ultimately causes it to halt. This force causes energy to dissipate as it works against a
body's motion and negatively affects the system.
The equation of the motion, considering that the friction force is proportional to the velocity
of the fluid in which the mass is submerged, can be written as the following:
2
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑦
𝑚 2 =− 𝑘𝑦 − 𝑏 𝑑𝑡
(1)
𝑑𝑡

Which could be rewritten as the following:

2
𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑦 2
2 + 2γ 𝑑𝑡
+ ω0𝑦 = 0 (2)
𝑑𝑡

Where:
𝑏
γ= 2𝑚
(3)
2
ω0 = 𝑘/𝑚. (4)

Considering a specific answer to this equation, that is:

−γ𝑡
𝑦(𝑡) = 𝐴0𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛(ω0𝑡 + ϕ0) (5)

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The damping constant b and the damping coefficient are two important factors that
must be considered in order to understand and categorize the behavior of damped harmonic
𝑁𝑠
motion. The units used for both of them, are Newtons-second per meter [ 𝑚
] in the

international system (Rivin, 1999). The oscillating system is subjected to a damping force,
and the damping constant b expresses how much the damping force slows down the system.
The damping constant's value is influenced by the physical properties of the surrounding
medium or fluid in the system. A stronger damping will be indicated by a bigger value of b,
whilst a weaker damping will be indicated by a lower value of b (Toppr, n.d.). On the other
side, the damping parameter displays how rapidly the damping force releases the energy of
the oscillating system. It shows how quickly the motion's amplitude is dropping over time.
The damping coefficient is influenced by the viscosity of the fluid or medium surrounding the
oscillating system (Georgia State University, n.d.). Moreover, something that must be taken
into consideration regarding the shock absorber system are the spring properties, mainly the
spring constant. This value directly affects the damping constant as the latter refers to how
much damping force is applied to slow down the system. Taking this into account, having a
larger spring constant means that the spring is stiffer and therefore, requires less force to stop
the oscillations and to return to equilibrium. On the contrary, if a spring has a lower spring
constant, the force needed to stop excessive bouncing will be higher.

There are three cases for the damped oscillation, which are critical damping, over
damping and finally under damping. The motion that the system mass-spring should describe
to model a car’s shock absorber is the critically damped motion. In critical damping, a
constant force applied moves the system to the equilibrium position in the shortest time
possible without oscillating around this position, which is ideal for shock absorbers (BC
Campus, n.d). This motion is represented by the equation shown below
−γ𝑡
𝑦(𝑡) = 𝑦0(1 + γ𝑡)𝑒

Where γ represents the damping parameter, 𝑦0 the initial distance at which the system is

displaced and 𝑡 the time it takes the spring-mass system to return to its initial state of
equilibrium.

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Experimental Procedure

Table 1. List of Materials

Materials Quantity

Spring 1

Set of masses 5

Flexometer 1

Universal support 1

Multiple Clamp 1

Weight holders 1

Beaker 1

Honey 200 ml

Hair Gel 200 ml

Method
1. First, set up the universal support and place the spring in the multiple clamp so that it
can hang from it, in order to take the required measurements.
2. Afterward, take a single measurement of the unstretched spring’s length with the use
of the flexometer.
3. Once the original length has been measured, each team member has to choose a mass
they want to attach to the spring in order to see how the extra mass affects the spring’s
oscillation.
4. Right after placing the mass to the spring, place a beaker with honey underneath the
spring, and measure the beaker’s length.
5. Each member of the team has to grab the spring, slightly move it downwards until it
almost reaches the bottom of the beaker, and let it go, so it can return to its initial
position.
6. With the help of a phone, the movement performed by the spring has to be recorded
for a later analysis in the digital tool, Tracker.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 in order to repeat the experiment with a different fluid, in this case,
hair gel.

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View all images on Appendix B

Experimental Results

The following Table 1 and Table 2 show the values obtained from the direct
measurements throughout the experiment.

Table 1. Direct measurements from Experiment 1

Honey

Unstretched spring (m) Length of Beaker (m) Mass 1 (kg)

0.05

0.07
0.13 0.09
0.08

0.09

0.1

Table 2. Direct measurements from Experiment 2

Gel

Unstretched spring (m) Length of Beaker (m) Mass 1 (kg)

0.05

0.07
0.13 0.09
0.08

0.09

0.1

Additionally, Figure 1 and Figure 2, demonstrate the graphs obtained for the motion
of the spring-mass system for both cases, hair gel and honey.

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Figure 1. Graph of the spring-mass Figure 2. Graph of the spring-mass system

system of 50 gr in gel of 70 gr in honey

The previous figures are two of the ten cases that were analyzed during the
experimentation (for the rest of the results, visit Appendix A). Additionally, as it was
observed during the experiment, the graphs show that the motion of the spring decreases
rapidly due to the restitution force the mass suffers against the viscosity of the two different
fluids.

Data Analysis
As was already indicated, Tracker was used to examine the experiment's footage in order to
determine how the spring moved. This tool was used to evaluate the movement and produce a
graph of the motion. Additionally, once this was done the data from time (𝑡 ) and 𝑦 position
were copied to an Excel file, in order to then analyze it with the help of Matlab. A code
would then make several graphs demonstrating the motion of the spring-mass system, with
their correspond gamma γ values and error intervals.
The value for the damping constant (𝑏) may now be calculated after obtaining the
γ-value. The equation (4) was solved for 𝑏, as the following:
𝑏
γ= 2𝑚

𝑏 = 2γ𝑚

Where 𝑚 is the mass that was added to the spring, and γ represents the damping
parameter. Excel was used to more effectively obtain the data by using the equation for 𝑏.
Also, the following error propagation formula was obtained in order to determine the error of
the damping constant 𝑏:

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∂𝑏 2
δ𝑏 = ( ∂γ · δγ)

2
δ𝑏 = (2𝑚 · δγ)

In this case, since there was only one error value to be examined, the square root can
2
be canceled out with the square in (2𝑚 · δγ) . Resulting in the equation shown below:

δ𝑏 = 2𝑚 · δγ
Where 𝑚 is the mass as mentioned earlier, and δγ is the coefficient constant error
obtained from Matlab. Therefore, this equation was used in order to find those uncertainties
throughout the damping constant values obtained (see Table 3 and Table 4).

Table 3. Indirect measurements from Experiment 1

Honey

"γ" value (Ns/m) Error Interval error γ b (Ns/m) error b

3.336 3.223 - 3.449 0.113 0.3336 0.03336

3.293 3.245 -3.34 0.047 0.46102 0.0645428

3.999 3.856 - 4.143 0.144 0.63984 0.1023744

3.296 3.211 - 3.382 0.086 0.59328 0.1067904

3.238 3.072 - 3.404 0.166 0.6476 0.12952

Table 4. Indirect measurements from Experiment 2

Gel

"γ" value (Ns/m) Error Interval error γ b (Ns/m) error b

29.32 26.27 - 32.37 3.05 2.932 0.305

21.41 19.37 - 23.46 2.05 2.9974 0.287

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30.83 27.35 - 34.31 3.48 4.9328 0.5568

40.76 35.55 - 45.98 5.22 7.3368 0.9396

34.76 30.37 - 39.14 4.38 6.952 0.876

When observing the values obtained for b in both of the cases, it could be concluded
that the fluid that worked the best for the purpose of this experiment was the gel, as these had
higher values than b-values obtained for honey. However, if the graphs that show the
behavior of the spring-mass system in this fluid are analyzed, it doesn’t correspond to the
behavior of critical damping. Taking this into account and analyzing the realization of the
experiment itself, the fluid that actually acted as a shock absorber was honey. With this fluid,
the system didn’t oscillate and went back rapidly to its equilibrium position. Furthermore, in
this case, the graphs show the correct motion a shock absorber should have.

It can be assumed that this situation occurred due to an error during the gathering of
the direct measurements. The gel was dissolved in water, since it was impossible for the
spring to move through the fluid. However, the amount of water added generated a decrease
in the viscosity of the gel to the extent of causing a change in the behavior of the system
mass-spring within the fluid; it was so liquid, compared to the honey, that the spring began to
oscillate.

Moreover, with this liquid, more errors can be observed. Ideally, the b-value for each
liquid, regardless of the mass, had to be the same or have a similar value. This didn’t happen
when calculating the b-values for the gel, on the contrary, the values variate notably. This
could have been due to the same reason mentioned previously, and random errors such as the
horizontal movement of the mass while recording the videos.

Overall, it can be stated that the experimental results for honey are the ones that have
accuracy describing a shock absorber as the spring-mass system did not oscillate and returned
back to its equilibrium state quickly when in contact with this liquid. On the other hand, even
though the b-values for the gel demonstrated that it dampened the oscillations as having
larger values of 𝑏 indicate a stronger damping (Toppr, n.d.), as mentioned before, due to
errors in the experimental process, the graphs showed a different behavior than the one
expected for a critical damped motion.

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Conclusions
Going back to the laboratory’s main objective; To study the damped oscillations of a
spring-mass system submerged in two different viscous fluids in order to compute the
γ-value, the damping constant 𝑏, and its respective errors. These values will help determine
which liquid acts better as a shock absorber for a vehicle suspension, it can be concluded that
it was achieved to some extent. On one hand, it was possible to calculate the values required
by following the appropriate methods. Nonetheless, the objective was not entirely fulfilled,
when comparing the theory and the experimental results; since the results did not go
accordingly with the researched data. The results of the calculated damping constant should
have proven that the honey is a better fluid for shock absorption, however, once the graphs
are analyzed it can be concluded that it is. It is assumed that this error occurred due to the
way in which the data from Tracker was interpreted. Additionally, there might have been an
error when computing the data in Matlab too.

Returning to the focus of this laboratory, taking into consideration the purpose of the
shock absorber system, if a car didn’t have this system the oscillations wouldn’t be dampened
and the control over the car would be compromised. The car would oscillate longer and
bound excessively as the connection between the wheels and the ground would become weak,
which ultimately means that maintaining the car on track would become a hard mission.
(MONROE, n.d).

After stating possible outcomes for cars with no shock absorber system and the
importance of it, there are some changes that would make the model presented in this report a
better representation of the system of study. Despite the fact that one of the fluids recreated
the function of this car device accurately, the other one didn’t. For this fluid, some changes
would be to not dilute it as much, as that caused it to lose its viscosity. Losing its viscosity
affected its ability to dampen the oscillations. Nevertheless, the fact that it had to be diluted
tells that hair gel doesn’t function as a shock absorber even with its initial characteristics,
therefore, to get a better model, the fluid could be changed for another one that acts better for
the purpose of this context.

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Appendix
Appendix A

Figure 3. Graph of mass 70 gr. in hair gel Figure 4. Graph of mass 50 gr. in honey

Figure 5. Graph of mass 80 gr. in hair gel Figure 6. Graph of mass 80 gr. in honey

Figure 7. Graph of mass 90 gr. in hair gel Figure 8. Graph of mass 90 gr. in honey

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Figure 9. Graph of mass 100 gr. in hair gel Figure 10. Graph of mass 100 gr. in honey

Appendix B

Figure 13. Mass submerged in

Figure 11. Measuring the Figure 12. Stretched spring in
honey
spring beaker

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References

BC Campus. (n.d). University Physics Volume I. BC Campus

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/universityphysicssandbox/chapter/damped-oscillations/

BYJU'S. (n.d.). Damped Oscillation. BYJU'S JEE.

https://byjus.com/jee/damped-oscillation/

Georgia State University. (n.d.). Damped oscillations. HyperPhysics Concepts.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/oscda.html#c2

Konieczny, Ł. (2016). Analysis of simplifications applied in vibration damping modeling for

a passive car shock absorber. Shock and Vibration, 2016.

Lumen Learning. (n.d.). 16.7 Damped harmonic motion. Lumen Learning Physics for SUNY.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-physics/chapter/16-7-damped-harmonic-moti

on/

Monroe.(n.d). Consequences of driving with worn shocks. Monroe

https://www.monroe.com/en-za/blog/consequences-of-driving-with-worn-shocks-and-
struts.html

OpenStax. (2018). 5.5 Simple Harmonic Motion. In Physics. OpenStax.

https://openstax.org/books/physics/pages/5-5-simple-harmonic-motion

Rivin, E. (1999). Stiffness and damping in mechanical design. CRC Press.

Toppr. (n.d.). Damping. Toppr.

https://www.toppr.com/guides/physics/simple-harmonic-motion/damping/

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Questions Color Code

1. What kind of motion should the system mass-spring describe to model a car’s shock
absorber.
2. Write the used equation to the motion of a shock absorber and explain each one of its
parameters.
3. How do the spring properties affect the damping constant?
4. Do you consider that your experimental results describe a shock absorber property?
5. What would happen if a car had no shock absorber system?
6. Which changes would you propose to get a better model for a shock absorber?

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