14.1. Basic Concepts of Vibrations

Try these first

1. 1.

   What is free vibration?

   Hint

   Think of a swing that keeps moving after you push it.

2. 2.

   Define natural frequency in simple terms.

   Hint

   It's like the rhythm you hear when you pluck a guitar string.

3. 3.

   What type of vibration occurs when a structure vibrates due to external forces?

   • Free Vibration
   • Forced Vibration
   • Equilibrium Vibration

   Hint

   Think about external influences like wind.

4. 4.

   True or False: Natural frequency is influenced by the mass and stiffness of a structure.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Recall our discussion about how heavier structures vibrate differently.

5. 5.

   A bridge made of steel has a mass of 5000 kg and a stiffness of 120000 N/m. Determine its natural frequency.

   Hint

   Plug in the values carefully and remember to take the square root.

6. 6.

   Consider an old building with a period of 0.5 seconds. What is its natural frequency?

   Hint

   Convert the period into frequency with this simple division!