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2015 | Book

Introduction Read chapter Read first chapter

System Dynamics for Mechanical Engineers

Authors: Matthew Davies, Tony L. Schmitz

Publisher: Springer New York

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik"

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About this book

This textbook is ideal for mechanical engineering students preparing to enter the workforce during a time of rapidly accelerating technology, where they will be challenged to join interdisciplinary teams. It explains system dynamics using analogies familiar to the mechanical engineer while introducing new content in an intuitive fashion. The fundamentals provided in this book prepare the mechanical engineer to adapt to continuous technological advances with topics outside traditional mechanical engineering curricula by preparing them to apply basic principles and established approaches to new problems.

This book also:

· Reinforces the connection between the subject matter and engineering reality

· Includes an instructor pack with the online publication that describes in-class experiments with minimal preparation requirements

· Provides content dedicated to the modeling of modern interdisciplinary technological subjects, including opto-mechanical systems, high-speed manufacturing equipment, and measurement systems

· Incorporates MATLAB® programming examples throughout the text

· Incorporates MATLAB® examples that animate the dynamics of systems

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
1. Introduction
Abstract
The word system has a broad modern definition. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a system as “a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.” For the engineer, a system consists of a combination of elements which, acting together, perform a specific task. An input to a system causes the system to exhibit a response which is observed as changes in the system output. All of the systems we discuss in this book are causal: the input, or cause, results in the output, or effect. Additionally, causality requires that the output depends only on current and previous input values. Future inputs do not affect the current output.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
2. Laplace Transform Techniques
Abstract
The Laplace transform is a powerful tool for analyzing linear differential equations that are used to model dynamic systems. These mathematical models are useful approximations of many dynamic systems including those that are:
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
3. Elements of Lumped Parameter Models
Abstract
In modeling systems for dynamic analysis, the modeler’s goal is to determine a differential equation that adequately describes the system behavior without introducing unnecessary complication. A successful modeler identifies the critical elements of a system and then incorporates them into a lumped parameter model. For a mechanical example, consider an automobile chassis/body and its interactions with the road through its suspension. Figure 3.1a shows the front suspension for a 1924 Ford Model T. Although all elements of the dynamic system can deform elastically, have mass, and offer the potential to dissipate mechanical energy as heat, we recognize that certain elements are inherently more flexible while others have significantly more mass. We therefore lump the elements together into ideal masses/inertias, springs, and energy loss elements (dampers) so that we can realistically analyze the system using a simplified model. Through analysis of this model, we identify the most important system dynamics.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
4. Transient Rectilinear Motion of Mechanical Systems
Abstract
You are already familiar with many types of mechanical systems that may undergo oscillations, or back and forth repetitive motions. They can occur in many mechanical systems including:
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
5. Transient Rotational Motion of Mechanical Systems
Abstract
In Chap. 4, we focused on motions that occur along a linear path. Similar motions also occur in rotary systems where the variable is angular, rather than linear, displacement. Examples of rotational motions include:
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
6. Combined Rectilinear and Rotational Motions: Transmission Elements
Abstract
Chapters 4 and 5 examined rectilinear and rotational motions of systems separately. However, for the majority of mechanical systems rotational and linear motions occur simultaneously. Familiar examples include:
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
7. Electric Circuits
Abstract
In the first part of this book, we examined various mechanical systems. In this chapter, we will study what appears to be a very different type of system—electrical circuits, which have three primary passive elements: resistors, capacitors, and inductors. These elements may seem quite different than the mechanical elements we studied previously: dampers, springs, and masses. However, we will see that there are mathematical analogies between the electrical and mechanical elements that make their behavior nearly identical. Therefore, all of the mathematical tools that we have developed for mechanical systems are directly applicable to the analysis of electrical systems.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
8. Electromechanical Systems
Abstract
So far, we have discussed mechanical and electrical systems separately. However, modern systems typically include both mechanical and electrical components; these are referred to as electromechanical systems. For mechanical engineers, it is critical to understand how to model systems with electrical, electronic, and, naturally, mechanical elements. Examples that will be treated in this chapter include electric motors, generators, and more modern micro-electromechanical elements (MEMs). Of course, many systems such as robots, machine tools, and conveyer belts combine multiple elements into a more complex electromechanical system. We will demonstrate the basic analysis pattern for simpler electromechanical systems, which can be applied to more complicated systems as well.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
9. Thermal Systems
Abstract
Thermal systems can be modeled using the techniques developed in the previous chapters. Because we are able to describe these systems using similar differential equations, the same mathematical solutions are applicable. Thermal systems are ubiquitous in mechanical engineering: the heating/cooling of electronics in a computer, temperature control in a house or building, the radiator in an automobile, and temperature control for a swimming pool, to name a few. There are direct electrical and mechanical analogies to the elements in a thermal system.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
10. Block Diagrams and Introduction to Control Systems
Abstract
We have studied several dynamic systems in previous chapters. While they have appeared to be physically distinct, we have seen that lumped parameter models of these mechanical, electrical, electromechanical, and thermal systems all exhibit the same fundamental behavior. Block diagrams provide a Laplace domain, visual description that enables physically distinct systems to be represented using a common structure. In a block diagram, transfer functions of the system elements are represented by individual blocks. Inputs and outputs, or signals, that flow to and from the system elements are represented by lines or arrows and their terminations define the manner in which different parts of the system interact. Block diagrams are used extensively to analyze control systems, where they provide a compact and intuitive representation of feedback control loops.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
11. Frequency Domain Analysis
Abstract
So far, we have mostly examined the response of dynamic systems to relatively simple inputs: impulses, steps, and ramps. While we have used Matlab ® to calculate the response of systems to more complex inputs numerically, there are also analytical methods that can be used to identify the response of systems to inputs of a general form. The most common analytical method is frequency domain analysis: the analysis of the steady state response for a linear system to sinusoidal (harmonic) inputs.
Matthew A. Davies, Tony L. Schmitz
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
System Dynamics for Mechanical Engineers
Authors
Matthew Davies
Tony L. Schmitz
Copyright Year
2015
Publisher
Springer New York
Electronic ISBN
978-1-4614-9293-1
Print ISBN
978-1-4614-9292-4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9293-1

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