Recent content by smithson1984

Hi. Thanks for the response. The approach I'm taking is the modelling it as a classical Newtonian system so that it is represented by a mass-spring-damper as follows: F(t) = m.a = M.g + b.v + k.x (1) where the stiffness term is assumed to be zero as there is no restoring force. At...

Thanks very much Andy. I'll have a read through these this morning. Wish me luck. I probably should have also mentioned that I am assuming only one degree of freedom, so that the cylinder can only move in the vertical direction and cannot translate or rotate. Although this assumption doesn't...

Hello :) I am an engineer and I am trying to analyse a system which basically contains a cylindrical body free-falling through a body of static water beginning with zero velocity. I am ultimately trying to find what the velocity of the object would be at a depth of 20m. In order to do this I...

Hi phyzguy, Thanks very much for the response! I think you've cracked the problem and it now makes sense. The calculations I'm coming out with are now making much more sense. It's obvious when you know how! Cheers, Ian

Hello Everyone, I have a problem which is flummoxing me concerning concrete! The density of concrete is approx. 2400 kg/m^3 (depending on mix) however the component parts which make up concrete are as follows: Water (density 998 kg/m^3) Cement (density 1506 kg/m^3) Aggregate...

Hi Colnago, I'm no structural engineering expert but I would start with a shear stress calculation. Check the following link under the heading 'Beam shear' for an equation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_moment_of_area#Statical_moment_of_area The equation is usually used for simply...

Thanks for the reply Chet. It's much appreciated! I will make sure to seek out the book you advised. Do you think the Bernoulli approach would be sufficient for a first approximation in the case of this system? I am a bit confused as I am unsure whether it can be; a) considered a continuous...

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and this is my first post so go easy! I have an engineering problem which I am uncertain as to how to solve. I am trying to design a basic ballast system for pumping seawater. The idea is to use compressed air to evacuate the water through a series of...