This is a work-in-progress. A typical course in Vibrations primarily involves the study of the motion of single (SDOF) and multiple degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to non-zero initial displacements or velocities (free response) and non-zero forces (forced response). The time-dependent nature of the motion, along with the sheer number of cases that are typically considered in an undergraduate-level class (SDOF: free response-undamped, underdamped, critically damped, overdamped; harmonic force response, periodic force response, general force response; MDOF: free response, forced harmonic response, natural frequencies and mode shapes) leads to many different solutions and approaches that the students are introduced to throughout the term without enabling them to see the physics of each response. To address this deficiency, we have developed eleven interactive simulation modules (ISMs) in MATLAB which depict the motion of the system under the aforementioned responses and allow the student to control many of the parameters of vibration to see the effect of each of them on the response. We are currently implementing these ISMs in a Vibrations course taught by one of the authors. A preliminary assessment of five of the ISMs has indicated that most students have found the ISMs to be very helpful in visualizing and understanding the topics that have been discussed in class. We intend to use the assessment of the students in the class to determine the effectiveness of providing these ISMs and improvements that may be implemented in the future.
Dr. Danesh-Yazdi is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. His teaching and research interests include vibrations, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. He is the co-author of two textbooks: Mechanical Vibrations: A State-Space Perspective (with Yi Wu) and Heat Conduction, 4th Edition (with Latif Jiji).
Yi Wu is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Erie, the Behrend College. She received Ph.D. degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia. Her curren
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Director for Academics
School of Engineering
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
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