Vibrator System

Vibrator
Control
Electronics

HighPressure
Hydraulic Supply

Servovalve
System

Diesel
Engine
Hydraulic
Pump Low Pressure
Reaction Mass

Baseplate
 Vibrator System

 Diesel Engine
- converts chemical energy (fuel) into mechanical energy
- propels vehicle and powers hydraulic system (single engine)

 Hydraulic Pump
- converts mechanical energy to hydraulic energy
- "pressure compensated" - provides flow necessary to maintain desired
pressure

 Hydraulic Supply System

- provides pulsation reduction
- stores hydraulic energy on a duty cycle basis
- filtration and distribution
 Vibrator System

Vibrator
Control
Electronics

HighPressure
Hydraulic Supply

Servovalve
System

Diesel
Engine
Hydraulic
Pump Low Pressure
Reaction Mass

Baseplate
 Vibrator System

 vibrator control electronics

– two main systems in use, Pelton and Sercel
– generates electrical signals to control vibratory system

 servovalve
-hydraulic valve under the electrical control of vibrator control electronics
-modulates hydraulic flow to yield desired acoustic output

 reaction mass
-inertial element used in actuator assembly for force to push or react against
-typically 4,000 to 10,000 lb. in weight
 Truck mass Reaction mass

Mt/2 Mt/2

Isolation springs

Baseplate
 Vibrator System (cont)

 Baseplate
- structure in contact with ground to apply generated vibratory force

 Isolation Springs
- decouples vibratory motion of baseplate from vehicle
- hold-down force holds baseplate in contact with ground. It is sum of "actuator
assembly" and vehicle weight applied through isolation springs
- usually air bags
 Servovalve Representation

upper passage
Servovalve flow resistance
1 2 3 QL1

QL2

1 2 Flow reversal 4
lower passage
variable fixed flow resistance
orifice orifice
actuator
 Servovalve

controls flow to achieve time-variant pressure, resulting in desired force being

applied to ground by baseplate

controls rate of flow by variable orifice system, swapping direction of flow into and
out of actuator

consists of identical, variable restrictions in the "in" and "out" flow paths

porting of fluid through passage ways in reaction mass also adds set of flow
restrictions
 VIBRATOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY ( 351 )

SIDE VIEW Stilts

Vibrator Actuator

Cab Engine
Accumulator Manifold Radiator
Assembly

Fuel Tank

Male Fork

Winch
Rear Drive Motor
Front Drive Motor Vibrator & Lift
System Assembly Rear Transmission
Front Transmission Steering
Cylinder

File: T100102a Baseplate

Air Springs
 Vibrator Assembly Parts

 Vibrator Actuator
- houses piston rod and servovalve
- acts as inertial element
- ported for oil passages

 stilts
- structure in which vibrator actuator is mounted
- delivers vibratory force to baseplate
- straddle vehicle drive line in some conventional truck mounts

 radius rods
- provide lateral stability for isolation system

 accelerometer
- sensor(s) used to measure phase and amplitude of baseplate
and / or reaction mass motion
 Servovalve

 Three-stage device
* first stage
- small electrical signal to very small controlled hydraulic flow

* second stage
- very small controlled hydraulic flow to small controlled hydraulic
flow

* third stage
- small controlled flow to very large controlled flow
- spool position determines rate and direction of flow
- when spool is in centered position, both sides of piston are
momentarily shut off, resulting in pressure spikes similar to
"water hammer"
- pressure spikes are one (of several) reasons for high-level
harmonic energy radiated by vibrators
 Servovalve Third Stage

Xv

Supply
P
h

Return
P
r
 Servovalve Third Stage

Xv

Supply
P
h

Return
P
r
 Servovalve Pilot Stage
upper pole piece

armature

lower pole piece

flexure tube

Feedback wire
P P
s s
R R

spool

piston 1 piston 2
 Servovalve cont

 First and second stage

* rocking armature and flapper cause pressure differential across nozzles. This
causes spool to move, which results in controlled flow out of second stage

* flow from second stage is used to control position of third-stage spool

 Actuator Parts
 Reaction Mass
- inertial element necessary for developed force to react or
push against

 Piston Rod
- reciprocating member through which developed force is
transmitted to stilts or baseplate

 Piston Rings
- used to seal one pressure cavity from the other

 Bronze Bushings
- used between reaction mass and piston rod

 Centering Rods ( used on some older vibrators)

- used to develop upward force bias to counteract gravitational
force on reaction mass
- allows servovalve to operate in a more linear range

 Mass centering air bags

-used on 351 and many other more modern vibrators
 Truck mass Reaction mass

Mt/2 Mt/2

Isolation springs

Baseplate
Vibrator Performance Parameters

 Peak Force

 Working Stroke ( Usable Stroke )

 Displacement Limit

 Reaction Mass Oil Column Resonance

 Peak Force

 Rating parameter used to quantify "force" capability of vibrator

- a useless parameter

- uses only piston area and maximum differential pressure

obtainable by hydraulic system ( typically 3000 psi )

- lacks information concerning servovalve flow capability, hydraulic

pump flow capacity, and engine power

- only a number obtained as product of piston area and 3000 psi

 peak force = A x P
p h
( P h= approx. 3000 psi )
 Vibrator Stroke Definitions

 Working stroke
- maximum allowable peak - to - peak motion of piston rod and reaction mass for
normal operation

- indicator of potential low - frequency performance

 Overtravel
- extra stroke on both sides of piston rod to allow for abnormal motion of actuator

- during an overtravel condition, relative motion of reaction mass and piston rod
arrested by bumpers, internal hydraulic stops, external hydraulic stops, or a
combination of each

 Total stroke
- sum of working stroke and available stroke for overtravel condition
 Displacement Limit

 A rating parameter used to quantify low - frequency performance of a

vibrator

- derivation of equation is based on no baseplate motion

- true motion of system is with baseplate and reaction mass moving

same direction at low frequencies

- actual displacement limit is lower in frequency than predicted by

equation

- another useless parameter

 Displacement Limit

 Lowest frequency at which the Peak Force can be accomodated by the

available Working Stroke

1 2Fv F = Peak Force

Fdl = v
2 Mr Ws
F dl= Displacement Limit Frequency

W s= Working Stroke

M r = "Reaction Mass" Mass

 Yet another useless parameter

• After this there is just one more useless parameter
 Oil - Column Resonant Frequency

 A rating parameter used to quantify the high - frequency performance of

a vibrator

- yet another useless parameter

- trapped oil in vibrator actuator acts as a spring, which in conjunction

with mass of reaction mass results in a "mas spring" system

- equation is derived, based on a model where baseplate does not

move

- spring exists only when servovalve is closed

- when servovalve not closed, spring does not exist as a true spring

- actual model should be a based a "base - excited" mass spring system

coupled to an active baseplate
 M r = "Reaction Mass" Mass
F oc = Oil Column Resonant Frequency
1 4 B e A p2 A p = Actuator Area
Foc=
2 ( A p S + V p) M B e = Oil Bulk Modulus
r
S = Maximum Peak - to - Peak Actuator Stroke
V p = Flow Passage Oil Volume

High Pressure
S
2
Servovalve

Mr

Ap
Low Pressure
Vp Reaction Mass
2
Baseplate
 Slightly More - Correct
Oil - Column Resonance

 Left - hand model is for totally trapped oil with a fixed baseplate

- does not represent reality in any fashion

 Right - hand model is for totally trapped oil with an active baseplate

- two resonances -- ground resonance and mass on trapped oil

- " oil - column resonance " varies with ground type

- although right - hand model accounts for ground, oil spring does not exist as
shown

- does not represent reality

 Mr Mr

K oil K oil

Mb

M r = " Reaction Mass " Mass

Mg
K oil = Oil Spring Rate

K g

M r = " Reaction Mass " Mass

K oil = Oil Spring Rate
M b = Baseplate Mass
M g = Ground Mass
K g = Ground Spring Rate
W = Radial Frequency
Vibrator Inefficiencies

 Oil Compressibility

 Reaction Mass Size

 Baseplate Mass

 Servovalve

 Leakage

 Baseplate Dynamic Properties

 Mr = "Reaction Mass" Mass
Ap = Actuator Area
Be = Oil Bulk Modulus
S = Maximum Peak - to - Peak Actuator Stroke
Vp = Flow Passage Oil Volume

High Pressure
S
2
Servovalve

Mr

Ap
Low Pressure
Vp Reaction Mass
2
Baseplate
 Flow Model

 Servovalve energy losses during act of control

- servovalve is a major source of inefficiency in a vibrator

- it is necessary that there be a time - variant pressure drop across

servovalve so that a time - variant pressure can be developed on
piston faces

- pressure drop across servovalve represents reduction in energy

being carried by fluid stream
 Flow Model
 There are three components of flow in a vibrator actuator:

- baseplate flow
* resulting from movement of baseplate. Accomplishes
useful work

- reaction mass flow

* resulting from movement of reaction mass. Accomplishes
no useful work.

- compressible flow
* resulting from compressible oil being subjected to a
varying pressure causing it to shrink in volume,causing an
inflow of oil to replace that which has disappeared
* compressible oil flow increases with frequency because
number of pressure loadings increases per unit time
 when pressure decreases, the oil expands and
increases the flow of low pressure oil, reducing the potential
pressure difference
 .
~ A p . Xr
Reaction mass flow ~

A p .F v
~
"oil spring" ~ Mr . f

Xr
Servovalve

Compressible flow
Ap S + V p
~
~( Be
) .f
useful flow ~ ..
~ Ap X b
Xb
 ERV Experiments

 Actuator output tests with an experimental vibrator

 Accelerometer on reaction mass

- low mode: ERV - 1 with 8-in., - total stroke set up for low
frequencies, with large total volume of oil and large piston
displacements
- high mode:ERV - 1 with 2-in., - total stroke set up for high
frequencies, with reduced total volume of oil

 Reduced volume of compressible oil reduces flow through servovalve,

resulting in more pressure available to be developed on piston faces
 Vibrator Force vs Frequency
(ERV - 1 )
-20

High Mode
-30
dB

-40 Low Mode

-50

100 120 140 160 180 200

Frequency (Hz)
 Baseplate Mass

 The lighter the baseplate, the more the force on the ground
- vibrator designers have tried to reduce baseplate weight, unknowingly at
sacrifice of overall output

 Too small a baseplate reduces vibrator output by improperly loading

hydraulic system

 Too light a baseplate will not have rigidity to prevent or restrict undesirable
baseplate resonances and mode shape

 Too small a baseplate will restrict type of soil on which a machine can work
 2
Fg = Fv - M bX b(2f)

Mb

Xb
Fg
from M. Lansley's Vibrator Seminar
from M. Lansley's Vibrator Seminar
from M. Lansley's Vibrator Seminar
 Baseplate Phase

0o
-5 o -5 o

-5 o -5 o

20 Hz
 Baseplate Phase

-20 o

-10 o

0o

60 Hz
 Baseplate Phase

o
-20 o 0

-50 o
-20 o
o
0

90 Hz
 Baseplate Phase

-70 o

o
0

-50 o -20 o

100 Hz
 Baseplate Amplitude

0 dB

0 dB

-2 dB -1 dB

-3 dB

10 Hz
 Baseplate Amplitude

0 dB

-1 dB
-2 dB

20 Hz
 Baseplate Amplitude

-2 dB -1 dB 0 dB

60 Hz
 Ground Resonances

Rocking Resonances
- can cause sub-harmonic energy to be generated and radiated
- very destructive forces placed on vibrator structures

Vertical Resonance
- baseplate decoupling will greatly increase harmonic energy
radiated
- increased harmonic energy will be realized as decoupling is
approached
- very destructive forces on vibrator structures

Rocking Resonance - around long axis of baseplate

Rocking Resonance - around short axis of baseplate

Vertical Ground Resonance - vertical motion

Detecting Decoupling
Rocking Resonance
Rocking Resonance
Vertical Resonance
decoupling can be detected with a rope under the baseplate

decoupling can be detected earlier with a rope than by visual observation

significant harmonic distortion exists long before decoupling occurs

rope