C&ENVENG 3020/7020 – COMPUTER ANALYSIS & STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS

Homework No. 1
“Harmonic Loading”

1. Consider the basic structure below with a mass m = 2500kg and a stiffness k = 100
kN/mm . If this system is subjected to resonant harmonic loading     of the form
p(t )  500kN sint starting from “at rest” conditions, determine:
(a) the value of the displacement u(t) after four cycles t  8 
assuming c = 0;
(b) the value of the displacement u(t) after four cycles t  8 
assuming 5% damping; and
(c) the amplitude of the steady state response 𝑢𝑠𝑠 (𝑡)assuming 5% damping.
v(t)
P(t) m

c
k

2. Our, now famous, orange frame was subjected to harmonic ground motion
̅̅̅̅
𝑢̈ 𝑔 = 𝑎𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡
for the range of frequencies shown in the table below. The peak acceleration response
of the frame, 𝑢̈ 𝑚𝑎𝑥 for each frequency of loading is given in column 3 of the table
below. The corresponding test frequency f   / 2 and amplitude of ground
(shaking table) acceleration a g are given in columns 1 and 2 of the same table. Use
this data to:
(a) identify the natural frequency of the frame with added damping; and
(b) estimate the damping ratio using the half-power bandwidth method.

Test Frequency, ag 𝑢̈ 𝑚𝑎𝑥

f   / 2
(Hz) (g’s) (g’s)
2.5 0.12 0.12
3.0 0.15 0.18
3.2 0.18 0.30
3.4 0.20 0.50
3.6 0.215 2.0
3.7 0.23 7.0
3.8 0.245 1.5
4.0 0.26 0.6
4.2 0.28 0.4
4.5 0.30 0.28
5.0 0.32 0.19

mcg/28/02/2018
The University of Adelaide
Department of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering