Republic of the Philippines
BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
The National Engineering University
Alangilan Campus
Golden Country Homes, Alangilan Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines 4200
Tel Nos.: (+63 43) 425-0139 local 2121 / 2221
E-mail Address:[Link]@[Link] | Website Address: [Link]
CHAPTER 2 - ROTATIONAL MECHANICAL SYSTEMS TRANSFER FUNCTION
PRE-LABORATORY SIMULATION (MATLAB OFFLINE)
Procedures:
1. Open the script in MATLAB and identify the initial values for Inertia (Jinit), Damping
(binit), and Applied Torque (Tamp).
2. Navigate to Part 1 to model the rotational system. Create the transfer function G_vel
using tf() with a numerator of 1 and a denominator array of [J_init, b_init] to represent
the first-order system
1
𝐻(𝑠) = 𝐽𝑠 + 𝑏
3. Run the script to execute the code and launch the "Rotational Dynamics & Inertia
Physics" dashboard.
4. Experiment with the sliders in the "System Parameters" panel to adjust the Inertia,
Damping, and Applied Torque.
5. Observe how changes in Inertia (J) visually alter the size of the 3D disk and affect the lag
(time constant) shown in the "Time Response: Velocity Lag" plot.
Guide Questions:
1. Based on the "Time Response: Velocity Lag" plot, how does an increase in Inertia (J)
affect the time it takes for the angular velocity (⍵) to reach the Target Velocity?
2. Observing the "3D Physical Model," what happens to the physical dimensions of the
flywheel when you decrease the Inertia (J) parameter?
Republic of the Philippines
BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
The National Engineering University
Alangilan Campus
Golden Country Homes, Alangilan Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines 4200
Tel Nos.: (+63 43) 425-0139 local 2121 / 2221
E-mail Address:[Link]@[Link] | Website Address: [Link]
LABORATORY SIMULATION (MATLAB ONLINE)
Procedures:
1. Open the script within your MATLAB Online workspace.
2. Review STEP 1 to observe how the physical parameters for the rotating disk are
initialized: viscous friction (b = 0.5;), a low inertia value (Jlow = 2;), and a high inertia
value (Jhigh = 8;).
3. Navigate to STEP 2 to examine how two distinct LTI models are generated using the tf()
command, mapping the variables into the denominator arrays (e.g., [J_low, b]).
4. Check STEP 3 to understand how the step() command is utilized to simulate the
time-domain angular velocity response for both systems simultaneously using the hold
on; command.
5. Run the script. Examine the algebraic transfer functions printed in the MATLAB
Command Window, and analyze the resulting comparative graph in the Figure window.
Modify the high inertia value in STEP 1 (e.g., change Jhigh = 8; to Jhigh = 20;), then re-run
to observe the visual impact on the system's lag.
Guide Questions:
1. Based on the generated step response plot in STEP 3, how does increasing the rotational
inertia (J) from 2 to 8 visually affect the time it takes for the disk to reach its final
steady-state angular velocity, and do both systems eventually settle at the exact same final
speed?
2. In STEP 2, the transfer function denominator arrays are defined for a first-order system
as [J_low, b]. If you were to attach a mechanical torsional spring with constant k to the
2
disk (changing the characteristic equation to 𝐽⋅𝑠 + 𝑏⋅𝑠 + 𝑘, what exact MATLAB array
would you write to properly define the new denominator?