Description

When a mechanical system vibrates, energy is dissipated due to the existence of damping forces. Thus, for a system under free vibration, its amplitude decreases with time.

The structure considered in this experiment is an articulated bar (considered as rigid), of length L and mass m. Coupled to the beam there may be: i) a spring of stiffness k at a distance a; ii) a damper with a damping coefficient c at a distance b and; iii) an additional mass ma at a distance d. A sensor (accelerometer) is located at coordinate y. Under free vibration, the system will exhibit an exponential time decay response.

Objective:
Determine the properties of the system (m, k and c) based on two time responses (with and without additional mass).