Cantilever Beam Stiffness Calculation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of stiffness for a cantilever beam modeled as an underdamped one degree of freedom (1 DOF) mass/spring/damper system. Participants explore various formulas related to damping ratio, natural frequency, and deflection, while attempting to derive the equivalent stiffness of the beam and shaker system.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the roots of the characteristic equation can be expressed as lambda1,2 = -dampingRatio x wnatural /sqrt(1-dampingRatio).
  • There is a discussion about the use of variable notation, with some suggesting the use of LaTeX for clarity in mathematical expressions.
  • Participants mention the formulas for damping ratio, natural frequency, and log decrement, but there is uncertainty about the application of these formulas in the context of the problem.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the calculation of the second moment of area (I) and its application in the deflection formula.
  • Another participant suggests that the equivalent stiffness of the beam and shaker can be found by adding their individual stiffness values, but there is uncertainty about how to derive k_beam from the deflection formula.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the basic principles of modeling the cantilever beam as a mass/spring/damper system, but there are multiple competing views on the application of formulas and the derivation of specific values. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact calculations and reasoning needed to progress.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the assumptions made in the calculations, the dependence on specific definitions for variables, and unresolved mathematical steps in deriving the equivalent stiffness and other parameters.

kev.thomson96
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A cantilever beam at low frequency behaves like an underdamped 1 DOF mass/spring/damper system.

We are trying to find the roots of the Characteristic equation which are lambda1,2 = -dampingRatio x wnatural /sqrt(1-dampingRatio)

Relevant formulas and given values:

damping ratio = c/2sqrt(m/k)

wnatural = sqrt(k/m)

wdamped = wnatural x sqrt(1-dampingRatio^2)

log decrement = (1/n)ln(x1/xn+1) = 2pi(damping ratio)/sqrt(1-dampingRatio)

beam width = 50 mm

beam depth = 3.8 mm

Modulus of elasticity = 200 GPa

density = m/v = 7800 kg/m^3

deflection x = Fl^3/3EI, l is length and I is second moment of area

kequivalent = kbeam + kshaker, where kshaker = 45 N/m.

I've only found I = bh^3/12 = 15.83 x 10^-12 m and from then on I'm stuck
 
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kev.thomson96 said:
A cantilever beam at low frequency behaves like an underdamped 1 DOF mass/spring/damper system.
We are trying to find the roots of the Characteristic equation which are lambda1,2 = -dampingRatio x wnatural /sqrt(1-dampingRatio)
##\lambda_{1,2} = -\zeta \omega_0/\sqrt{1-\zeta}## ... you mean like that?

It's a heroic effort but still hard to read. You could just use roman characters ... L=-zw0/√(1-z) because you can define any variable names you like.
Or, you can learn LaTeX markup - which is what the rest of us do:
https://www.physicsforums.com/help/latexhelp/

So:
damping ratio = c/2sqrt(m/k) ##\zeta = c/2\sqrt{km}## https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_ratio#Definition
wnatural = sqrt(k/m) ##\omega_0 = \sqrt{k/m}##
wdamped = wnatural x sqrt(1-dampingRatio^2) ##\omega = \omega_0\sqrt{1-\zeta^2}##
log decrement = (1/n)ln(x1/xn+1) = 2pi(damping ratio)/sqrt(1-dampingRatio) ##\delta = \frac{1}{n}\ln|x_1/x_{n+1}|##

beam width = 50 mm

beam depth = 3.8 mm

Modulus of elasticity = 200 GPa

density = m/v = 7800 kg/m^3

deflection x = Fl^3/3EI, l is length and I is second moment of area

kequivalent = kbeam + kshaker, where kshaker = 45 N/m.

I've only found I = bh^3/12 = 15.83 x 10^-12 m and from then on I'm stuck
... I don't follow.
Am I reading that right: ##I=bh^3/12## ?? Where are these numbers coming from?
Please explain your reasoning?
 
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Simon Bridge said:
Or, you can learn LaTeX markup - which is what the rest of us do:
Apologies for not using that.
Simon Bridge said:
Am I reading that right: I=bh3/12I=bh3/12I=bh^3/12 ?? Where are these numbers coming from?
The second moment of area of the beam, which is a rectangular prism.
 
OK - so how are you thinking of the problem? Please show your best attempt with reasoning.
 
We can find the damping ratio from the log decrement.

Shaker and beam have the same ground, therefore they are in parallel in terms of stiffness, so the equivalent stiffness formula is ##k_equivalent = k_beam + k_shaker##

To find k_beam, we need to equate it to ##\frac F x##, and equate ##\frac F x## to ##\frac 3EI l^3##(just rearranging the deflection formula).

To plug I into the deflection formula, we find it by using the appropriate formula for a rectangular prism.

And then I'm stuck.
 
kev.thomson96 said:
We can find the damping ratio from the log decrement.

Shaker and beam have the same ground, therefore they are in parallel in terms of stiffness, so the equivalent stiffness formula is ##k_{equivalent} = k_{beam} + k_{shaker}##

To find k_beam, we need to equate it to ##\frac F x##, and equate ##\frac F x## to ##\frac{3EI}{l^3}##(just rearranging the deflection formula).

To plug I into the deflection formula, we find it by using the appropriate formula for a rectangular prism.

And then I'm stuck.
... did you figure it out?
(BTW: a_bcd gets you ##a_bcd## while a_{bcd} gets ##a_{bcd}## same with \frac ab cd vs \frac{ab}{cd} ... but better this time :) )
 

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