Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras
AS 2080 Vibrations (Instructor: Prof. K. V. Nagendra Gopal)
Problem Set 4, 16.03.2026
1. Consider the system shown in the figure in which the slender rigid bar of mass m
is attached to two springs each of stiffness k at its left end and three-quarters of the
way across the bar. Derive the differential equations for the system using the
following.
a. x and θ as generalized coordinates where x is the displacement of the mass
center of the bar from equilibrium, and θ is the clockwise angular
displacement of the bar.
b. x1 and x2 are the vertical displacements of the points on the bar where the
springs are attached and measured from equilibrium. Assume small θ.
2. For the above problem, determine the natural frequencies and natural modes of the
system. Show that it does not depend on the choice of the generalized coordinates.
3. For the system in problem 1, determine the initial conditions for which it will
vibrate as if it were a rigid body rotation about point P, which is at a distance of
0.118L to the right of the mass centre.
4. A two-mass system consists of a piston of mass m1, connected by two elastic
springs, that moves inside a tube as shown below. A pendulum of length l and end
mass m2 is connected to the piston. (a) Derive the equations of motion of the
system in terms of x1 nd θ2. (b) Derive the equations of motion of the system in
terms of the x1 and x2. (c) Find the natural frequencies of vibration of the system.
5. An electric overhead traveling crane, consisting of a girder, trolley, and wire rope,
is shown in Figure. The girder has a flexural rigidity (EI) of 17 x 109 Nm2 and a
span (L) of 10 m. The rope is made of steel and has a length (l) of 7 m. The
masses of the trolley and the load lifted are 4000 kg and 1000 kg, respectively.
Find the area of cross section of the rope such that the fundamental natural
frequency is greater than 20 Hz.
Model Hint
6. For the above system, assume that the girder has a span of 40 m, an area moment
of inertia (I) of 0.02 m4, and a modulus of elasticity (E) of 2.06 x 10 N/m2, the
trolley has a mass (m1) of 1000 kg, the load being lifted has mass (m2) of 5000 kg,
and the cable through which the mass m2 is lifted has a stiffness (k) of 3.0 x 105 N/
m, determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the system.
7. An airplane is standing on a runway as shown in Figure. The airplane has a mass
m = 20,000 kg and a mass moment of inertia J0 = 50 x 106 kgm2. If the values of
stiffness and damping constant are k1 = 10 kN/m and c1 = 2 kNs/m for the main
landing gear and k2 = 5 kN/m and c2 = 5 kNs/m for the nose landing gear, (a)
derive the equations of motion of the airplane, and (b) find the undamped natural
frequencies of the system. Assume l1 = 20 m and l2 = 30 m.
8. The mass and stiffness matrices and the mode shapes of a two-degree-of-freedom
system are given by
If the first natural frequency is given by ω1 = 1.4142, determine the masses m1 and m2
and the second natural frequency of the system.
9. Find the natural frequencies and the amplitude ratios of the system shown in the
figure below.
10. Determine the natural frequencies of the system shown in Figure by assuming that
the rope passing over the cylinder does not slip.
Answers for Problem Set 4
4. (a) m1 x··1 + (k1 + k 2 )x1 − m 2 gθ = 0
··
m 2l 2 θ − m 2 glθ = 0
( l )
x 2 − x1
(b) m1 x··1 + (k1 + k 2 )x1 − m 2 g =0
( l )
x 2 − x1
m 2 x··2 + m 2 g =0
(c) The natural frequencies can be obtained from the following frequency equation
l ( l )
mm g m g m g
m1m 2 ω 4 − 1 2 ω 2 + 2 k1 + k 2 + 2 =0
l
5.
··
1. Governing Eqn : 0.0187θ + 200θ = M0 sin 25t, M0 < 556 Nm. at r = 0.242.
2. I = 71.36 kg.m2
3. kθ =90.9 kNm/rad
4. Steady-state amplitude X = 3.24 mm.
5. d < 20.9mm or d > 496mm. The second answer is the feasible value for this
equipment.
6. keq = 9.31 x 107 N/m, ceq = 4.88 x 105 Ns/m
7. X = 0.36 mm
8. 12 rad/s < ω < 32 rad/s. r(12) = 1.77, a = 14.2 m/s2, r(32) = 4.71, a = 13.2 m/s2 .
Use this to get the transmissibility for acceleration and find corresponding k.
9. K = 3970 N/m, Z = 6.9mm