Calculating Displacment from acceleration

In summary, the conversation discusses using accelerometer data to find the natural frequency and displacement of an object. The FFT of the signal reveals a main component at ~20Hz, and the equation for this component is in the form of asin(wt). The question then turns to finding the value of a, which is complicated by noise present in the signal. The best way to calculate the value of a is discussed, including taking the rms of all the values from the accelerometer data. However, the conversation is from 7 years ago and the thread has been closed.
  • #1
6Stang7
212
0
I have some accelerometer data from an object and I want to find the natural frequency and displacement of this object. A plot of the recorded data looks like this:

k3cYOl.jpg


As you can see, I did a FFT of the signal to find it's components, and at ~20Hz, we can see the main component.

I know that, for the most part, this object is at steady state, so the equation for this component is in the forum of asin(wt).

My question comes to finding the value of a. This is noise present on this signal, which can been seen below:

Y8GKJl.jpg


The red sin wave is one that I made to fit the main component of the signal (by plugging in different values until it "looked right"), and the frequency of this wave matches that given from the FFT. The amplitude of this wave (red) should be my acceleration value, correct? If so, then what is the best way to calculate it's value? If I take all the values that the accelerometer recorded (in g) and take the rms of all the values, will that give me the value of a for the main component?

The accelerometer data is a 131328x4 matrix, so if I do:

rms=sqrt(mean(y)^2+std(y)^2);

where y is just the first column of data (that of one of the accelerometers)

in Matlab, will I get the amplitude of my signal?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
There is no one answer to you?
 
  • #3
This was posted 7 years ago, by someone who hasn't been here for 3 years.

Please do not revive such a dead thread, especially if you have nothing to contribute.

Thread closed.
 

What is displacement?

Displacement is a physical quantity that measures the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

What is acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity. It is also a vector quantity and is measured in meters per second squared (m/s^2).

How do you calculate displacement from acceleration?

To calculate displacement from acceleration, you can use the formula d = 1/2at^2, where d is displacement, a is acceleration, and t is time. This formula assumes that the initial velocity is 0 and the acceleration is constant.

What units are used for displacement and acceleration?

Displacement is typically measured in meters (m) or kilometers (km), while acceleration is measured in meters per second squared (m/s^2).

Can displacement be negative?

Yes, displacement can be negative. This means that the object has moved in the opposite direction of its initial position. Positive displacement indicates movement in the same direction as its initial position.

Similar threads

  • General Math
Replies
12
Views
1K
Replies
9
Views
1K
  • MATLAB, Maple, Mathematica, LaTeX
Replies
16
Views
13K
  • Classical Physics
Replies
5
Views
761
Replies
8
Views
819
  • Classical Physics
Replies
6
Views
684
Replies
1
Views
897
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
Back
Top