Apparatus
for Demonstrating Wave Motion in Structures
Sponsor: Brian Zellers,
Course: ME 415 Spring
2005
Instructor: Prof. Gary Koopmann
Team: The Wavers -
Jared Davis, Tom Digan, Jason Klimczak, Andrew Parise
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Wave motion
apparatus ready to be transported |
Design Criteria: Adjustable System
Parameters Lights to Emphasize
Motion Theoretical Verification
of System Cost Effective |
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Wave motion apparatus
ready for demonstration |
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Project
Background
This project will be used as
a classroom model to show students how waves travel through structures. It will also show how a force on one part of
a structure can affect the rest of the structure. There are many forms of waves that can be
analyzed and demonstrated using different types of models. This project, however, deals strictly with
the motion of transverse waves. The wave
motion demonstrator is very portable and has the ability to be easily
transported from one building to another.
In addition to being portable, it also has adjustable boundary
conditions and the ability to change masses and the location of input
forces. Changing these parameters will
ultimately help students in the classroom see how each element, when changed,
affects the behavior of the system.
Students should be able to see different modes of vibration for the
system and how these modes vary with the different frequencies that can be
inputted into the system. The modes also
vary when the system parameters are changed at a given frequency, as is
demonstrated by this project.
Executive
Summary
The chosen design has 20 aluminum rods clamped to a torsion wire which
is suspended by a wooden oak base. The
rods act as the system’s masses and the torsion wire acts as the springs. LED’s were mounted to the ends of the rods in
order to emphasize the motion of the wave moving across the apparatus. Any one of the rods can be driven via a DC
motor with a crank/connecting rod at variable frequencies, creating a wave that
will propagate down the torsion wire and through the system. The frequency of the motor is
changed by using a variable voltage source to vary the speed of the
motor. A 3V AC/DC adapter is used to convert AC current from a wall outlet to usable
DC current, which powers the 20 LED’s.
Extra weights can also be added to the aluminum rods to change the total
mass of the system, and any one of the rods can be held fixed to change the
boundary conditions. These adjustable
parameters allow the user to change the system’s output. The entire system is enclosed inside a wooden
box with a lid which protects the apparatus and provides easy transportation.
Created