Title :

Free Vibration of Cantilever

Objectives:
To determine the natural frequency of a cantilever
beam and study both
undamped and damped free vibration motion of a
cantilever beam
Introduction:
Free Vibration
Cantilever beam was an example of free vibration that showed by initial disturbance
occur the vibration at the free end of the cantilever beam and the system was no external
force is acting on it. The cantilever beam can be displayed as a mass-spring system where
the governing equation of motion is given by

mx kx or

x n 2 x 0

Where m = mass of the system,

k = stiffness of the system

n = the natural circular frequency of the system, n =

k
m

second-order equation linear differential equation in the homogeneous form is

x

x (0)
sin n t x (0) cos n t
n

To established the natural period of the oscillation is from n = 2 or

m
k

The natural frequency of the system is

fn

1
1

k
m

Viscously Damped Vibration

Some inherent degree of friction which dissipates mechanical energy was possessed by
every mechanical system. There are usually complex using precise mathematical models
for the dissipative friction forces. Viscous damping force can be expressed by
Fd cx

mx cx kx 0
Where c = damping coefficient, and
was given for the equation of
motion of a free-damped vibration system. While the general equation was

x A1e (

2 1 ) n t

A2 e (

2 1 )n t

where =damping ratio.

The radicand (2 1) may be positive, negative or zero, giving rise to three categories of
damped motion: > 1 (over-damped), = 1 (critically damped) and < 1 (under-damped).

Natural Frequency of A Cantilever Beam

If the free end of a cantilever beam is subjected to a concentrated end force, P, the beam
will deflect into a curve and the maximum deflection of the cantilever beam
y max

PL3 P

3EI k

Where k= stiffness of the beam and given by

k

3EI
L3

E is the modulus of elasticity, for aluminum, E = 70GPa

L stand forlength of the beam
I

I is the moment of inertia, when for rectangular area,

bh 3
12

b stand for width of the beam

h stand for height of the beam

While the static deflection of a cantilever beam y(x) is given as

y ( x)

y
Px 2
(3L x) max3 (3 x 2 L x 3 )
6 EI
2L

The equation that expressed as velocity variation was

y ( x )

y max
(3 x 2 L x 3 )
3
2L

The equation of the maximum kinetic energy of the beam itself was
L

Tmax

1 m
1 33
2
y x dx
m y max
20 l
2 140

The kinetic energy equation Tmax = meqv2 was compared and therefore the equivalent
mass of the beam is meq = (33 / 140) m
When added a damper to the free end of the cantilever beam, the total equivalent mass is
given by
meq = (33 / 140) m + mdamper
Equipment and Materials: Cantilever beam apparatus, Computer, DC-7104
Controller software, Strain gauge, Strain recorder DC-104R, Compact flash memory
card, viscous damper, Ruler (1 meter)
Set up:

Computer

DC-7104 Controller software

Cantilever beam

Viscous
damper
Strain recorder DC-104R
Compact flash
memory card
Procedure :
1
2
3

The computer and the strain recorder was switched on.

DC104R Controller was clicked to start the program that located on desktop.
Experiment shown by the diagram above. The operation of the strain recorder and
the recorder application software refer to the operational manual .
4 The left of beam was maked not attached to anything.
5 The beam was displaced and hold, ymax by -20 mm to 20 mm with every 5mm
internal changes and the strain recorder reading for each displacement value
manually was recorded from the Numerical Monitor screen of the application
software.
6 The relationship of the displacement of the free end and the strain recorder
reading was obtained by plotting an appropriate graph using a spreadsheet.
7 The beam by 30 mm was displaced and leave the beam to vibrate on its own. The
strain recorder reading was recorded by clicking on the Play and Stop button.
8 The recorded file was retrieved by clicking on the Read USB button.
9 The graph was plotted of the beam displacement versus the time, t.
10 The experiment was repeated by using beam displacement of 50 mm.
11 The viscous damper was connected to the beam and repeat steps 7 and 10 using
beam displacement of 30 mm and 50 mm, respectively.

Displacement(mm)
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20

Results
Table 1 Show relationship between displacement and strain

Displacement and strain relationship

Strain
238
182
116
60
0
-60
-118
-183
-242

Displacement vs Strain

Displacements(mm)
-300

25
20
f(x) = - 0.08x
15- 0.06
10
5
0
-200 -100 -5 0
100
-10
-15
-20
-25

200

Strain

Natural frequency for free vibration, fn, Experimental value for 30mm

Displacement Vs Time
40
30
20

Displacement(mm)

10
0
0
-10
-20

0.2

0.4

0.6

-30
-40

Time(s)

sample calculation of one displacement :

y=-0.0833x-0.0648
=29.09 mm

strain, x = -350

0.8

1.2

300

natural frequency :
1
fn = t n

1
0.5750.325 = 4.0 Hz

amplitude :
27.75mm

Natural frequency for free vibration, fn, Experimental value for 50mm

Displacement vs time
60
40
20

Displacement(mm)

0
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1
-20
-40
-60

Time(s)

sample calculation of one displacement :

y=-0.0833x-0.0648

strain, x = -496

=41.25 mm

natural frequency :
1
fn = t n

1
0.6850.44 = 4.08 Hz

amplitude :
36.75mm

Natural frequency for free vibration, fn, Theoritical value

mass of beam = 298 g
length of beam = 925 mm
base of beam = 19.09 mm
height of beam = 6.35 mm

1
1.42-- fn= 2
1
= 2

k
Meq
0.108(1000)
0.07024

= 6.24 Hz

3 EI
1.11 - - K L3
=

E=70 GPa

b h3
I = 12
3

3 (70000)( 407.33)
9253

19.09(6.35)
=
12

= 0.108 Nmm-1

=407.33 mm4

33
1.13 - - Meq= 140 m
=

33
140 (298)

=70.24 g = 0.07024 kg

Percentage error , % for 30mm

%Error

TheoriticalExperimental

Theoritical 100%

6.244
6.24 100 %
=

= 36 %

Percentage error , % for 50mm

%Error

TheoriticalExperimental

Theoritic al 100%

6.244.08
6.24 100 %
=

= 34.6%

Damping frequency for Viscous damp, fd, Experimental value for 30mm

Displacement vs time
40
30
20

Displacement (mm)

10
0
0.3
-10

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

-20
-30

Time(s)

sample calculation of one displacement :

y=-0.0833x-0.0648

strain, x = --394

=32.75 mm

damp frequency :
1
fd = t n

1
0.980.69 = 3.44 Hz

The highest displacement is 34.25 mm at 0.4s , and lowest is 6.69mm at 0.98 s

1.1

Damping frequency for Viscous damp, fd, Experimental value for 50mm

Displacement vs time
50
40
30

Displacement(mm)

20
10
0
0.2
-10

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.4

1.6

-20
-30

Time(s)

sample calculation of one displacement :

y=-0.0833x-0.0648

strain, x = -504

=41.9184 mm
damp frequency :
1
fd = t n

1
1.230.95 = 3.57 Hz

The highest displacement is 41.9184 mm at 0.4s , and lowest is 5.93 mm at 1.23 s

Damping frequency for Viscous damp, fd, Theoretical value

mass of beam = 298 g
length of beam = 925 mm
base of beam = 19.09 mm
height of beam = 6.35 mm
mass of damp = 113.77 g
1
1.42-- fd= 2
1
= 2

k
Meq
0.108(1000)
0.184

= 3.86 Hz

3 EI
1.11 - - K L3

E=70 GPa

3 (70000)( 407.33)
9253

= 0.108 Nmm-1

33
1.13 - - Meq= 140 m+md
=

33
140 (298)+ 113.77

=184.01 g = 0.184 kg

bh
I = 12

19.09(6.35)
=
12

=407.33 mm4

Percentage error , % for 30mm

%Error

TheoriticalExperimental

Theoritical 100%

3.863.44
3.86 100 %
=

= 10.88 %

Percentage error , % for 50mm

%Error

TheoriticalExperimental

Theoritical 100%

3.863.57
3.86 100 %
=

= 7.51 %

Discussion :
The result from the table 1 shown the relationship between displacement and the strain
is inversely proportional to each other. This will lead to explain strain is a description of
deformation in terms of relative displacement of particles in the body that excludes rigidbody motions. When displacement increases , strain will decreases.
Based on the experiment propped cantilever beam that have been done , data set
with value 30mm and 50mm have been collected and tabulated in order to calculate the
natural frequency for free vibrations and the damping frequency for viscous damp.
After the results of the calculation was produce , percentage error between the
experimental and theoretical was interpreted so that comparison can be make. The
formulae of percentage error is ,

% Error = [ Theoretical - Experimental ] x 100%

Theoretical
Natural frequency for free vibration for 30mm and 50mm

Reading ( mm )

Frequency ( Hz )

30

50

4.08

Theoretical

6.24

Percentage error for 30mm = 6.24 - 4 x 100%

6.24
= 36.00%

Percentage error for 50mm = 6.24 - 4.02 x 100%

6.24
= 34.50%

From the data that were obtain from experiment which is tabulated in table , its shows
that the value of theory and experiment produced was differ from each other. Source of
error incurred by human is inability to displacement the cantilever beam to an accurate
position or parallax error. Beside that , reaction time to Play and Stop the strain
recorder. This eventually will cause the amplitude and period differ from what recorded
in theoretical part.
Damping frequency for viscous damp for 30mm and 50mm

Reading ( mm )

Frequency ( Hz )

30

3.44

50

3.57

Theoretical

3.86

Percentage Error for 30mm = 3.86 - 3.44 x 100%

3.86
= 10.88 %

Percentage Error for 50mm = 3.86 - 3.57 x 100%

3.86
= 7.51 %

Based on the values that were obtained from the experiment. We knew that the
theoretical and experimental may differ from what calculated. Precautions to be take note
during the experiment is by reducing the random error cause by imperfection of the
devise use. Experimental values should be conducted several times to confirm the
consistency of results. In addition , the water level in the beaker must exceed and cover
the initial level of the damper to reduce dissipates of energy due to air resistance. Another
source of error that should be improved is to use sensors and other measuring equipment
with high sensitivity in measuring data obtained.

The results of this experiment can be improved by measuring the Modulus of Elasticity to
avoid inaccurate results. Besides that, using a deeper container can avoid the damper to
hit the bottom of the container so that the amplitude of oscillation would not be affected
when the force is released. Next, the experiment can be done in a vacuum box to avoid
air resistance. Apart from that, eye level should be perpendicular to the metre ruler scale
to avoid parallax error during the measurement of displacement. (UKEssays, 2016)
In the damp graph . we can find damped period of motion , damped natural
frequency , undamped natural frequency and damping ratio. For 30mm damp graph,
a) The damped period of motion
Td = 0.29s
b) The damped natural frequency
2
d = Td
= 21.66 rad/s
c) The damped ratio
number of periods , n=1 Xo =15.26mm Xn =6.69mm
1
Xo
Log-dec is derived from ratio : = n . ln Xn
= 0.824

( )

from log-dec formula :

2
(12 )0.5


= ( 4 + 2 )0.5
2

checking with approximate formula :

= 0.13

= 0.13

d) The undamped natural frequency

: n =

d
2 0.5
(1 )

= 21.84 rad/s

Besides, for 50mm damp graph,

a) The damped period of motion
Td = 0.28s
b) The damped natural frequency
2
d = Td
= 22.44 rad/s
c) The damped ratio
number of periods , n=1 Xo =12.93mm Xn =5.93 mm
1
Xo
Log-dec is derived from ratio : = n . ln Xn
= 0.78

( )

from log-dec formula :

2
(12 )0.5

= ( 4 2 + 2 )0.5

checking with approximate formula :

= 0.12

= 0.12

d) The undamped natural frequency

: n =

d
(12 )0.5

= 22.60 rad/s

In this experiment, it was found that if the strain gauge is mounted on the other end of
the cantilever beam, the results would be not accurate due to the gauge is very sensitive

to changes. At the other end of the cantilever beam, there is not much difference in the
change of length which affects the strain.
From this experiment, it was also found that when the displacement is 30mm and
50mm, the natural frequency of free vibration for both cases are quite same. For the
damping frequency of viscous damp for both displacement 30mm and 50mm, the results
for both cases are also similar. This shows that the difference in displacement does not
affect the frequency for both cases. Beside , in damping , damp ratio have small
difference between 30mm and 50mm displacement. From this, we can said
that the displacement do not affect much on the damped ratio. Moreover ,
from the damp ratio from this two damp graph , we can know that it is underdamped since damp ratio <1.

A system is said to be a cantilever beam system if one end of the system is rigidly
fixed to a support and the other end is free to move. Some cantilever beam systems can
be applied in the real life systems. One of the applications would be an aircraft wing act
as a cantilever beam. The use of a single cantilever wing on each side of the plane tends
to reduce the total weight of the plane and increase the maximum potential speed and
efficiency. (wiseGEEK, 2016) On the other hand, a system with damping undergoes free
vibration. Damping can be applied in some situations where we do not want something to
vibrate. First of all, cars consist of dampers that prevent it from bobbing up and down
repeatedly every time when it falls into a pothole. Besides that, dampers are also found
on bridges to prevent them from swaying due to wind. Tall buildings also sometimes have
dampers to ensure that the building does not sway too much and topple during
earthquakes. (Pediaa.Com, 2015)
There are some precautions when conducting the experiment. Firstly, fixed end
condition of the cantilever beam should be ensured by properly gripping one end of the
beam. Next, initial displacement of the cantilever beam should be small so that the
linearity assumption holds true. (Iitg.vlab.co.in, 2016)

Reference list

Pediaa.Com,. (2015). Difference Between Damped and Undamped Vibration.

Retrieved 12 February 2016, from http://pediaa.com/difference-between-dampedand-undamped-vibration/
Iitg.vlab.co.in,. (2016). Free Vibration of a Cantilever Beam (Continuous System)
(Discusion) : Virtual Labs for Mechanical Vibrations(M) : Mechanical
Engineering : IIT GUWAHATI Virtual Lab. Retrieved 12 February 2016, from
http://iitg.vlab.co.in/?sub=62&brch=175&sim=1080&cnt=2067
wiseGEEK,. (2016). What is a Cantilever? (with pictures). Retrieved 12 February
2016, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cantilever.htm
UKEssays,. (2016). UK Essays | UKEssays.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016,
from http://www.ukessays.com/