Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems, 2015

Vol. 21, No. 1, 23–37, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13873954.2013.871564

Modelling and analysis of damped vibration in hydraulic cylinder

Wojciech Sochacki*

Institute of Mechanics and Machine Design Foundations, Częstochowa University of Technology,

Ul. Dąbrowskiego 73, 42–201 Częstochowa, Poland
(Received 18 December 2012; final version received 29 November 2013)

The study presents a formulation on the basis of Hamilton’s principle and solution for
the problem of damped vibration in hydraulic cylinders. The physical model took into
consideration the energy dissipation in a vibrating cylinder as a result of external
viscous damping and internal damping of viscoelastic material in beams used to
construct a model of a cylinder (rheological model by Kelvin–Voigt). Constructional
damping in the points of the cylinder connection with the components of the basic
structure was also considered. The example computation was made for a cylinder used
in a mining prop. The results of the computations concern the determination of the
relationships between the first eigenvalue of transverse vibration in the cylinder and its
extension length with two values of load and determination of the amplitude decay
factor for the first and the second eigenvalue versus the extension length. Furthermore,
the study also focused on determination of the relationships between the amplitude
decay factor of the first and second mode of vibration for a particular length of the
cylinder.
Keywords: damped vibration; hydraulic cylinder; amplitude decay factor

1. Introduction
A hydraulic cylinder as an object of research studies on dynamics of mechanical systems
has been extensively discussed in the literature. Much research has been done on the
interactions between the cylinder tube and piston rod and the effect of sealing or the
medium on the cylinder’s dynamics. It is often important to analyse the effect of the
environment on the cylinder. The above effects have been usually modelled as interactions
of particular forces (either constant or variable), point masses or the elasticity components
added as discrete elements to the system studied. They provide the basis for building
models used for computation of the frequency of cylinder’s vibration, interacting forces of
piston rod and cylinder tube and computation of critical forces of particular structures.
One of the early studies in this field was study [1]. In the work, the importance of initial
imperfection due to misalignment in the interface between cylinder tube and piston rod
and its influence in accordance with the stroke was pointed out. In the study [2] was
presented the results obtained from the investigations of elastic load bearing capacity in a
hydraulic support. Furthermore, the paper [3] presented the results of the investigations of
the dynamic response of the model of a cylinder to axial impulse. In the work [4], an
analysis of the effect of initial inaccuracy of connection between the piston and cylinder
tube on critical loading force in the cylinder was presented. In the study [5], a method of
analysis which permits the investigation of stresses and deflections in a hydraulic cylinder,

*Email: sochacki@imipkm.pcz.czest.pl

© 2014 Taylor & Francis

24 W. Sochacki

using a finite element analytical model, was presented. The problem of the stability and
free vibration of a hydraulic cylinder with an elastically fixation modelled by rotational
springs has been formulated and solved in the paper [6]. In the work [7], a theoretical
model that involves the analysis of boundary conditions and presents loads in actual
applications was proposed. The results of model have been validated experimentally in a
test bench, designed to determine the behaviour of cylinders under load. In the paper [8],
the effects caused by friction and clearance in the connection between the rod and the
cylinder for hydraulic actuators of the ‘plunger rod’ kind was investigated. Friction at the
restrained ends, for the pin connected ends case, was also evaluated. Another publication
where calculations of free vibration frequencies were extended with the investigations of
the dynamic stability of the cylinder by means of determination of geometrical parameters
and load at the time of losing the stability was the study [9]. Analysis of vibration
frequency of the cylinder versus the extension of the piston rod was discussed in [10].
Models of cylinders’ vibrations are usually beam-based. Analysis of vibration damp-
ing in such structures should also be supplemented with the analysis of vibration damping
in beams that model a cylinder tube and piston rod.
An interesting publication concerning the effect of external damping on vibration of
beams with stepped cross section is the study [11]. Similar study was presented in [12],
where the effect of external damping on vibration of a support beam with stepped cross
section and a mass attached to a free end of the beam was analysed. The example
studies concerning the investigations of the effect of internal damping on beam vibration
are [13–16]. In the study [13], the effect of internal damping on vibrations of a support
beam with a mass attached to a free end of the beam was analysed. Furthermore, a
replacement (discrete) model in the form of spring-damper-mass system was proposed.
The effect of small internal and external damping on stability of non-conservative beam
systems was presented in [14]. Similar analysis of the effect of internal damping on
stability of a support column loaded with a follower force was presented in the study
[15]. A mathematical model of bending of non-prismatic beams with damping was
presented in [16].
Being typically parts of other structures, hydraulic cylinders often operate under a
variety of different conditions of the environment. Fixation of the cylinder to the base
structure typically occurs through joints. Variable operating conditions (elevated friction),
effect of the environment (corrosion) and variable load cause that modelling of cylinder’s
mountings using only joints might not reflect actual fixation points in the system. In order
to consider the effect of the above factors on vibration motion of the cylinder, rotational
dampers in the fixation model was introduced by the author of presented study. This
solution was discussed in the study [17] where modal analysis of a simple Bernoulli–Euler
beam with rotational viscous dampers at the ends was carried out.
This study presents a formulation and solution for the problems of damped vibration
in hydraulic cylinders. The physical model considered dissipation of energy of cylinder’s
vibration caused by external viscous damping and internal damping of viscoelastic
material in beams used in a model of a cylinder tube and piston rod in hydraulic cylinder
(rheological model by Kelvin–Voigt). Constructional damping in the locations of the
cylinder’s connection with components of the basic structure was also considered. The
example computation was made for a cylinder used in a mining prop. The results of the
computations concern the determination of the relationships between the first eigenvalue
of transverse vibration in the cylinder and its extension length with two values of load and
determination of the amplitude decay factor for the first and the second eigenvalue versus
the extension length. The effect of the constructional damping in fixation points on the
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 25

first eigenvalue of the system with extreme lengths of the cylinder was also presented.
Furthermore, the study also focused on the determination of the relationships between the
decay factor for the vibration amplitude of the first and second mode of vibration for a
particular length of the cylinder. The considered model of damped vibrations of hydraulic
cylinder (including both internal and external damping as well as constructional damping
by the cylinder clamping system) is an original achievement. Based on the obtained
results, originality of the structure is confirmed with respect to determining cylinder
length optimised against reduction in amplitude of vibration.

2. Mathematical model
The model of a hydraulic cylinder, presented in the diagram in Figure 1(a), is composed of
four beams that model a cylinder tube (l11 and l12) and piston rod (l21 and l22) in the
cylinder (Figure 1(b)).
The model considers essential parameters of the actual system, such as loading the
system with force P and damping in individual parts of hydraulic cylinder modelled with
viscous damping coefficients E*. Furthermore, the external damping of the system
modelled with coefficient ce has been taken into consideration. The constructional damp-
ing in the form of rotational viscous dampers attached at the ends of beams was modelled
with coefficient cR. The liquid in the cylinder was adopted as the medium of load transfer
between the piston and the cylinder along the length filled with liquid (see [2]).
The boundary problem connected to the free vibrations of the considered non-con-
servative (due to damping) system was formulated on the basis of Hamilton’s principle
[18] in the following form:

cR
P

E*22
P

ce
dp
l22

Dp
x22

W22 (x,t)

E*21,E*12
l12 = l21
L

x12 , x21

ce

W12 (x,t) = W21 (x,t)

E*11
ce
l11

dc
x11

Dc W11 (x,t)
cR

(a) (b)

Figure 1. Diagram (a) and beam model (b) of a hydraulic cylinder with damping.
26 W. Sochacki

ðt2 ðt2
δ ðT  V Þdt þ δWN dt ¼ 0 (1)
t1 t1

where T is the kinetic energy, V is the potential energy and δWN is the virtual work of non-
conservative forces originating from damping.
Kinetic and potential energies and virtual work of non-conservative forces are defined
by the following relationship:

lð  
1 X
mn
2
@Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ 2
T ¼ ρmn Amn dxmn (2)
2 m;n¼1 @t
0

lð  2 2 lð  
1 X 1 X
mn mn
2
@ Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ 2
@Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ 2
V ¼ Emn Jmn dxmn  P dxmn (3)
2 m;n¼1 @xmn 2 2 m;n¼1 @xmn
0 0

X
2
lð
mn    2
 @ 2 @Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ @ Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ
δWN ¼ Emn Jmn δ dxmn þ
m;n¼1
@xmn
2 @t @xmn 2
0
Zlmn 
X
2
@Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ @W11 ðx11 ; tÞ @W11 ðx11 ; tÞ (4)
ce δWmn ðxmn ; tÞdxmn þ cR δ  
m;n¼1
@t @t @x11 x11 ¼0
0

@W22 ðx22 ; tÞ @W22 ðx22 ; tÞx22 ¼l22
cR δ 
@t @x22

where m,n = 1,2 (ce = 0 for m = 2 and n = 1)

Wmn (xmn, t) – transverse displacement of beams that model cylinder and piston rod,
Emn – Young’s modulus for individual beams,
E*mn – material viscosity coefficient,
Jmn – moment of inertia in beam cross-sections,
Amn – cross-sectional areas of the beams,
ρmn – beam material density,
ce – viscous damping coefficient,
P – cylinder loading force (at the length l12 of the cylinder tube coverage with the
piston rod in the cylinder P = 0),
xmn – spatial coordinates,
t – time.
Geometrical boundary conditions of the considered system are as follows:

x ¼l 
x22 ¼l22 @ 2 W12 ðx12 ; tÞ 12 12 @ 2 W21 ðx21 ; tÞ
W11 ðx11 ; tÞjx11 ¼0 ¼ W22 ðx22 ; tÞj ¼  ¼  ¼0
@x2 12 @x2 21 x21 ¼0
(5a–d)
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 27

W11 ðx11 ; tÞjx11 ¼l11 ¼ W12 ðx12 ; tÞjx12 ¼0 ¼ W21 ðx21 ; tÞjx21 ¼0
(6a–d)
W12 ðx12 ; tÞjx12 ¼l12 ¼ W21 ðx21 ; tÞjx21 ¼0 ¼ W22 ðx22 ; tÞjx22 ¼0

x ¼l  x ¼l 
@W11 ðx11 ; tÞ 11 11 @W12 ðx12 ; tÞ @W21 ðx21 ; tÞ 21 21 @W22 ðx22 ; tÞ
 ¼  ;  ¼ 
@x11 @x12 x12 ¼0 @x21 @x22 x22 ¼0
(7a; b)

By substituting relationships (2), (3) and (4) into Hamilton’s principle (1) after taking into
account the geometrical boundary conditions, we obtained the differential equation of
motion in the transversal direction in the form

@ 4 Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ  @ 5 Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ @ 2 Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ

Emn Jmn þ E J mn þ P þ
@x4mn mn
@x4mn @ t @x2mn
(8)
@Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ @ 2 Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ
þ ce þ ρmn Amn ¼0
@t @ t2

and natural boundary conditions

     x ¼l
 @ @ 2 W12 ðx12 ; tÞ  @ @ 2 W11 ðx11 ; tÞ 11 11
E12 þ E12 J12  ¼ E11 þ E11 J11  (9)
@t @x212 x12 ¼0 @t @x211

 
@ 2 W11 ðx11 ; tÞ @ @W11 ðx11 ; tÞ
E11 J11  ¼ cR  (10)
@x2 11 x11 ¼0 @t @x11 x11 ¼0

x ¼l 
@ 2 W22 ðx22 ; tÞ 22 22 @ @W22 ðx22 ; tÞx22 ¼l22
E22 J22  ¼ cR  (11)
@x222 @t @x22

     x ¼l
 @ @ 2 W22 ðx22 ; tÞ  @ @ 2 W21 ðx21 ; tÞ 21 21
E22 þ E22 J22  ¼ E21 þ E21 J21  (12)
@t @x222 x22 ¼0 @t @x221

  x ¼l 
 @ @ 3 W11 ðx11 ; tÞ 11 11 @W11 ðx11 ; tÞx11 ¼l11
E11 þ E11 J11  þP  
@t @x311 @x11
     
 @ @ 3 W12 ðx12 ; tÞ  @ @ 3 W21 ðx21 ; tÞ
E12 þ E12 J12   E21 þ E J 21   (13)
@t @x312 x12 ¼0
21
@t @x321 x21 ¼0

@W21 ðx21 ; tÞ
P  ¼0
@x 21 x21 ¼0

  x ¼l   x ¼l
 @ @ 3 W12 ðx12 ; tÞ 12 12  @ @ 3 W21 ðx21 ; tÞ 21 21
E12 þ E12 J12  þ E21 þ E21 J21  
@t @x312 @t @x321
   (14)
 @ @ 3 W22 ðx22 ; tÞ
E22 þ E22 J22  ¼0
@t @x322 x22 ¼0
28 W. Sochacki

Solution for Equation (8) is given by


Wmn ðxmn ; tÞ ¼ wmn ðxmn Þeiω t
(15)
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
where ω* is the complex eigenvalue, i ¼ 1.
By substitution of (15) into Equation (8) after separation of variables one can obtain

mn ðxÞ þ β mn wmn ðxÞ  γmn wmn ðxÞ ¼ 0 m; n ¼ 1; 2

wIV 2 II
(16)

  sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ρmn Amn 2 ce  P
where γmn ¼  
ω  iω , βmn ¼  iω Þ
Jmn ðEmn þ Emn iω Þ ρmn Amn Jmn ðEmn þ Emn
and an order of partial derivative in relation to a space coordinate is denoted by Roman
numeral.
Similarly, by substitution of the solution (15) into the boundary conditions (9–14),
they can be written in the following form:

wI11 ðl11 Þ ¼ wI12 ð0Þ; wI21 ðl21 Þ ¼ wI22 ð0Þ

w11 ð0Þ ¼ wII12 ðl12 Þ ¼ wII21 ð0Þ ¼ w22 ðl22 Þ ¼ 0

w11 ðl11 Þ ¼ w12 ð0Þ ¼ w21 ð0Þ
w12 ðl12 Þ ¼ w21 ðl21 Þ ¼ w20 ð0Þ

ðE12 þ E12 iω Þj12 wII12 ð0Þ ¼ ðE11 þ E11

iω Þj11 wII11 ðl11 Þ

E11 J11 wII11 ð0Þ ¼ cR iω wI11 ð0Þ

(17)
E22 J22 wII22 ðl22 Þ ¼ cR iω wI22 ðl22 Þ


ðE22 þ E22 iω Þj22 wII22 ð0Þ ¼ ðE21 þ E21

iω Þj21 wII21 ðl21 Þ

ðE11 þ E11 iω Þj11 wII11 ðl11 Þ þ PW11
I 
ðl11 Þ  ðE12 þ E12 iω Þj12 wII12 ð0Þ þ

 ðE21 þ E21 iω Þj21 wII21 ð0Þ ¼ PW21
I
ð0Þ ¼ 0

ðE12 þ E12 iω Þj12 wII12 ðl12 Þ þ ðE21 þ E21

iω Þj21 wII21 ðl21 Þ  ðE22 þ E22

iω Þj22 wII22 ð0Þ ¼ 0

The solution for Equation (16) is given by

 
wmn ðxÞ ¼ C1mn eλmn x þ C2mn eλmn x þ C3mn eiλmn x þ C4mn eiλmn x (18)
rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
þ γmn , λmn ¼
β2 β4mn β2mn β4mn
where λmn ¼  2mn þ 4 2 þ 4 þ γmn
After substitution of Equation (18) into condition (17), one can obtain the system of
equations with respect to unknown constants Ckmn. In the matrix form, this system can be
given by

½Aðω Þ C ¼ 0 (19)
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 29

where ½Aðω Þ ¼ ½apq , (p, q = 1,2…16) i C ¼ ½Ckmn T , (k = 1,2…4)

The non-zero elements apq of matrix A(ω*) are given in Appendix.
The system of Equation (19) has a non-trivial solution if the determinant of the matrix
A(ω*) equal zero:

det Aðω Þ ¼ 0 (20)

Equation (20) is solved numerically for the eigenvalues ω*. The roots ω* are complex
numbers that represent the damped vibration frequencies and damping in the system.
Depending on the adopted solution, the real and imaginary parts ω* can specify damped
vibration frequency or vibration amplitude decay coefficient of the tested system.
Obtained roots may accept positive or negative values of the real part Re (ω*) or
imaginary part Im (ω*) at a constant module jω j. In this paper, the results for the
positive values of Re (ω*) and Im (ω*) were presented.

3. Results of numerical simulations

The computations were carried out in consideration of the material and geometrical data
of the hydraulic cylinder used in a mining prop. The data adopted for computations are
presented in Table 1.
When presenting the results, dimensionless values of damping coefficients given by

– for internal damping


Emn
η¼ (21)
h Emn
ρc Ac þ ρp Ap 4
where h2 ¼ L ,
Ec Jc þ Ep Jp
Ac – cross-sectional area of the cylinder tube,
Ap – cross-sectional area of the piston rod,

– for external damping

ce L3
#¼ (22)
d

where d 2 ¼ L2 ðρc Ac Ec Jc þ ρp Ap Ep Jp Þ

– for constructional damping

Table 1. Geometrical and material data adopted in the study.

Cylinder tube – external diameter Dc = D11 = D12 = 290 (mm)

Cylinder tube – internal diameter dc = d11 = d12 = 250 (mm)
Piston rod – external diameter Dp = D21 = D22 = 160 (mm)
Piston rod – internal diameter dp = d21 = d22 = 120 (mm)
Cylinder tube and piston rod density ρc = ρp = 7.86 × 103 (kg/m3)
Young’s modulus Emn = Ec = Ep = 2.1 × 1011 (Pa)
30 W. Sochacki

cR
μ¼ (23)
d

were adopted.
Figure 2 presents the relationships between the first two free vibration frequencies
without damping in the cylinder and its length that ranged from L = 2.6 m to L = 4.0 m
and for two variants of loading, which was p = 0 and p = 0.3 (p = P/Pc, where Pc is the
critical force of the cylinder extended to L = 4 m).
The other figures present the effect of vibration damping on cylinder’s dynamics
(eigenvalues). Figure 3 presents the relationships for real and imaginary parts of the first
eigenvalue of the cylinder for selected values of damping coefficients. The computations
were carried out for the cylinder extended from L = 2.6 m to L = 4 m for two values of
loading.
In order to determine the effect of individual types of damping on vibration frequen-
cies in the system studied and the degree of decay of vibration amplitudes, individual
analysis for different types of damping determined by η, # and µ coefficients were carried
out. The range of the parameters changes, allowing to determine the nature of the
parameter impact on the eigenvalues of the studied system.

1600

1200 ω2
ω (rad/s)

800

400 ω1

0
2.8 3.2 3.6 4
L (m)

Figure 2. Relationships between the first and second free vibration frequency for the cylinder
without damping (p = 0, p = 0.3).

600
Re (ω1 )

500

η = 0.01
ω1 (rad/s)

400
ϑ = 0.5
300 μ = 0.5
Im (ω1 )
200

100
2.8 3.2 3.6 4
L (m)

Figure 3. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) for the cylinder
and the extension length L for selected values of damping coefficients (p = 0, p = 0.3).
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 31

The analysis measured the effect of coefficients that characterised a particular type of
damping on the first eigenvalue in the cylinder (the damped frequency in the system and
the degree of decay of vibration amplitudes). The computations were carried out in each
case for the cylinder extended to the length of L = 3 m. Further, the results of the
investigations of the effect of the cylinder extension length (from Lmin to Lmax) on its
first eigenvalue for selected values of vibration damping coefficients were presented.
Figure 4 presents the effect of internal damping on the damped frequency and
amplitude decay factor of the cylinder’s vibration.
Figure 5 presents the change in the first eigenvalue of the cylinder depending on the
extension length from L = 2.6 m to L = 4 m without loading and loaded with the force
p = 0.3. The investigations were carried out for internal damping value of η = 0.01.
Similarly, Figures 6 and 7 present the results of numerical simulations of the effect of
external damping (# coefficient) on the first eigenvalue of the cylinder. When analysing
the effect of damping on the damped frequency and the amplitude decay factor, damping
coefficient of # = 0.5 and the system load of (p = 0.3) was adopted. The curves Im (ω1*)
for p = 0 and p = 0.3 in Figure 7 overlap.

300

200 Re (ω1 )
ω1 (rad/s)

100
Im (ω1 )

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05

η

Figure 4. The real part and imaginary part of the first eigenvalue of the cylinder as functions of the
internal damping coefficient η for L = 3 m.

300
η = 0.01

200
Re (ω1 )
ω1 (rad/s)

100
Im (ω1 )

2.8 3.2 3.6 4

L (m)

Figure 5. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) for the cylinder
and the extension length L for selected values of damping η (p = 0, p = 0.3).
32 W. Sochacki

300

200 Re (ω1 )

ω1 (rad/s)
100 Im (ω1 )

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

ϑ

Figure 6. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) of the cylinder
and the external damping coefficient # for L = 3 m.

300
ϑ = 0.5

200
Re (ω1 )
ω1 (rad/s)

100 Im (ω1 )

2.8 3.2 3.6 4

L (m)

Figure 7. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) for the cylinder
and the degree of its extension L for the selected value of the coefficient # (p = 0, p = 0.3).

Further investigations focused on consideration of cylinder vibration damping that

resulted from motion resistance which might be generated in the points of cylinder
fixations. This resistance was characterised by means of constructional damping coeffi-
cient μ. Figures 8 and 9 present the relationships between the cylinder’s eigenvalues (parts
Re (ω1*) and Im (ω1*)) and the constructional damping coefficient μ. The computations
were carried out for different values of the μ coefficient (Figure 8) and for different
lengths of the L cylinder (Figure 9). Similar to the previous cases, the cylinder was
additionally loaded with a force of p = 0.3.
Changes in the first damped frequency of cylinder vibration (Re (ω1*)) in the case of
the increase in the value of coefficient μ (Figure 8) ranges from the values representing the
vibration frequency for the cylinder with joint mountings without damping (μ = 0) to the
values that represent a cylinder which is rigidly fixed in both supports, with μ → ∞. The
imaginary part of the first eigenvalue increased from zero to the value of (Im (ω1*max) for
μ ≈ 0.45 – maximum damping), and then Im (ω1*) → 0 when μ → ∞. Changes in the
eigenvalues for the cylinder versus the extension length for selected value of the
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 33

800

600 Re (ω1 )

ω1 (rad/s)
400

Im (ω1 )
200

0
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
μ

Figure 8. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) of the cylinder
and the constructional damping coefficient μ dla L = 3 m.

600
μ = 0.5
500
Re (ω1 )
ω1 (rad/s)

400
Im (ω1 )
300

200

100
2.8 3.2 3.6 4
L (m)

Figure 9. The relationships between the first eigenvalue (real and imaginary parts) for the cylinder
and the degree of its extension L for the selected value of the coefficient μ (p = 0, p = 0.3).

parameter μ = 0.5 are presented in Figure 9. The higher the value of Im (ωn*) the more the
amplitudes of a particular (n) mode of vibration are damped. With respect to the above,
the next figure (Figure 10) presents the maximum values of Im (ωn*max) for the two first
modes of vibration in the system studied depending on the cylinder length.

4. Conclusions
This study presents the model of transverse vibration in a hydraulic cylinder with
damping. The model of damping took into consideration the internal damping of the
beams that modelled a cylinder tube and a piston rod and external damping and construc-
tional damping that modelled motion resistance in the location of the cylinder’s mounting.
The computations were carried out for the model of a hydraulic cylinder used in mining
props.
It can be concluded based on the calculations that introduction of the internal and
external damping causes only insignificant changes in the damped frequencies of the
34 W. Sochacki

320

280

max (rad/s)
240
Im ω1 max

200
Im ω1
Im ω2 max

160

120
2.6 2.8 3 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4
L (m)

Figure 10. The relationships between the maximum values of Im (ω*max) for the two first modes
of vibration in the cylinder and the extension length L (for η = 0 and # = 0).

system across the range studied (Re (ω*) Figures 4–7). An increase in the damping
coefficients μ i # causes faster decay of vibration amplitudes in the system studied
according to the curves (Im (ω*) in Figures 4 and 6). Loading the system with the
force p = 0.3 changes only the damped frequencies, but it does not affect changes in
vibration amplitude decay (Im (ω*) in Figures 5 and 7).
It can be also concluded that introduction of the constructional damping of
cylinder vibrations (from mounting parts) causes significant changes in the eigenva-
lues of the cylinder. An increase in the damping coefficient μ in the points of
mounting causes a constant increase in the damped frequency of vibration and an
increase in the value of (Im (ω1*)) to the maximum value that depends on the
extension length, followed by a reduction in these values towards 0 with μ → ∞.
This considerable change in the damped frequency of vibration (Re (ω1*) in Figure 8)
is caused by the substantial intervention in boundary conditions in the system studied.
The increase in the value of μ coefficient leads to ‘locking’ the rotational motion in
the mounting joints. In the limiting case, the change in the mounting conditions occurs
(from joint-based into rigid ones). When extending the cylinder (Figure 9), its damped
vibration frequency decreases, whereas the maximum damping effect occurs when the
cylinder is extended to the value of L = 3.11 m (Im (ω*) reaches its maximum value).
A considerable load to the system (p = 0.3) causes the reinforced damping effect
throughout the length of the cylinder studied and, obviously, a reduction in the value
of the damped frequency of the system studied. The amplitude decay factor for the
vibration of the first mode adopts the maximum values for μ = 0.42, when the
cylinder is extended to the length of L = 3.31 m. In the case of the second mode of
vibrations, Im(ω2*max) reaches its maximum for μ = 0.06 with the length of the
cylinder of L = 2.94 m. Opportunities for computation of the length of the cylinder
with the highest amplitude decay factor (especially for the first mode of vibration)
allows for designing the systems with cylinders that typically operate at these lengths,
ensuring minimum vibration amplitudes for the cylinder. Furthermore, purposeful use
of rotational dampers (with changeable damping coefficient) in fixed points of
hydraulic cylinder made ‘control’ of its dynamics (frequencies and amplitudes of
vibration) possible in a wide range.
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 35

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Appendix
The non-zero elements apq of matrix A(ω*) (19) are given as follows:

a12 ¼ 1; a14 ¼ 1;
2
a21 ¼ cR ω iλ11 ; a22 ¼ E 11 λ211 ; a23 ¼ cR ω iλ11 ; a24 ¼ E11 λ11
2  2 
a35 ¼ λ212 sinhðλ12 Þ ; a36 ¼ λ212 coshðλ12 Þ ; a37 ¼ λ12 sinðλ12 Þ ; a38 ¼ λ12 cos ðλ12 Þ ;
2
a410 ¼ λ221 ; a412 ¼ λ21 ;
 
a513 ¼ sinh ðλ22 Þ ; a514 ¼ cosh ðλ22 Þ ; a515 ¼ sin ðλ22 Þ ; a516 ¼ cos ðλ22 Þ ;
36 W. Sochacki

a613 ¼ E 22 λ222 sinh ðλ22 Þ  cR ω iλ22 cosh ðλ22 Þ ; a614 ¼ E22 λ222 cosh ðλ22 Þ  cR ω iλ22 sinh ðλ22 Þ ;
2   2  
a615 ¼ E22 λ22 sin ðλ22 Þ  cR ω iλ22 cos ðλ22 Þ ; a616 ¼ E22 λ22 cos ðλ22 Þ þ cR ω iλ22 sin ðλ22 Þ
(A1)

 
a71 ¼ sinh ðλ11 Þ ; a72 ¼ cosh ðλ11 Þ ; a73 ¼ sin ðλ11 Þ ; a74 ¼ cos ðλ11 Þ ; a76 ¼ 1; a78 ¼ 1;

a86 ¼ 1 ; a88 ¼ 1 ; a810 ¼ 1; a812 ¼ 1;

 
a95 ¼ sinh ðλ12 Þ ; a96 ¼ cosh ðλ12 Þ ; a97 ¼ sin ðλ12 Þ ; a98 ¼ cos ðλ12 Þ ;

 
a99 ¼  sinh ðλ21 Þ ; a910 ¼  cosh ðλ21 Þ ; a911 ¼  sin ðλ21 Þ ; a912 ¼  cos ðλ21 Þ ;

 
a109 ¼ sinh ðλ21 Þ ; a 1010 ¼ cosh ðλ21 Þ ; a1011 ¼ sin ðλ21 Þ ; a1012 ¼ cos ðλ21 Þ ; a1014 ¼ 1;
a1016 ¼ 1;

 
a1101 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE 11 Þλ211 sinh ðλ11 Þ ; a1102 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE11 Þλ211 cosh ðλ11 Þ ;

 2   2 
a1103 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE 11 Þλ11 sin ðλ11 Þ ; a1104 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE11 Þλ11 cos ðλ11 Þ ;

  2
a1106 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE12 Þλ212 ; a1108 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE12 Þλ12 ;

 
a1201 ¼ λ11 cosh ðλ11 Þ ; a1202 ¼ λ11 sinh ðλ11 Þ ; a1203 ¼ λ11 cos ðλ11 Þ ; a1204 ¼ λ11 sin ðλ11 Þ ;

a1205 ¼ λ12 ; a1207 ¼ λ12 ;

 
a1309 ¼ λ21 cosh ðλ21 Þ ; a1310 ¼ λ21 sinh ðλ21 Þ ; a1311 ¼ λ21 cos ðλ21 Þ ; a1312 ¼ λ21 sin ðλ21 Þ ;

a1313 ¼ λ22 ; a1315 ¼ λ22 ;

 
a1409 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE 21 Þλ221 sinh ðλ21 Þ ; a1410 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE21 Þλ221 cosh ðλ21 Þ ;

 2   2 
a1411 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE 21 Þλ21 sin ðλ21 Þ ; a1412 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE21 Þλ21 cos ðλ21 Þ ;

  2
a1414 ¼ ðE22 þ iωE22 Þλ222 ; a1416 ¼ ðE22 þ iωE22 Þλ22 ;


a1501 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE 11 Þλ311 cosh ðλ11 Þ þ Pλ11 cosh ðλ11 Þ;


a1502 ¼ ðE11 þ iωE 11 Þλ311 sinh ðλ11 Þ þ Pλ11 sinh ðλ11 Þ ;

 3  
a1503 ¼ ðE 11 þ iωE11 Þλ11 cos ðλ11 Þ þ Pλ11 cos ðλ11 Þ ;
 3  
a1504 ¼ ðE 11 þ iωE11 Þλ11 sin ðλ11 Þ  Pλ11 sin ðλ11 Þ ;

  3
a1505 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE12 Þλ312 ; a1507 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE12 Þλ12 ;

  3
a1509 ¼ ðE 21 þ iωE21 Þλ321  Pλ21 ; a1511 ¼ ðE 21 þ iωE 21 Þλ21  Pλ21 ;
 Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems 37
 
a1605 ¼ ðE 12 þ iωE12 Þλ312 cosh ðλ12 Þ; a1606 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE 12 Þλ312 sinh ðλ12 Þ;

 3   3 
a1607 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE 12 Þλ12 cos ðλ12 Þ ; a16 08 ¼ ðE12 þ iωE 12 Þλ12 sin ðλ12 Þ ;


a1609 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE21 Þλ321 cosh ðλ21 Þ þ Pλ21 cosh ðλ21 Þ;

a1610 ¼ ðE21 þ iωE21 Þλ321 sinh ðλ21 Þ þ Pλ21 sinh ðλ21 Þ ;

 3  
a1611 ¼ ðE 21 þ iωE21 Þλ21 cos ðλ21 Þ þ Pλ21 cos ðλ21 Þ ;
 3  
a1612 ¼ ðE 21 þ iωE21 Þλ21 sin ðλ21 Þ  Pλ21 sin ðλ21 Þ ;

  3
a1613 ¼ ðE 22 þ iωE22 Þλ322  Pλ22 ; a1615 ¼ ðE 22 þ iωE 22 Þλ22  Pλ22 ;
 
where: λmn ¼ λmn lmn ; λmn ¼ λmn lmn ; Emn ¼ Emn Jmn ; E mn ¼ Emn

Jmn ; m; n ¼ 1; 2