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LEBANESE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT

Mass-Spring System
(Lab #3)

Alexandre Assaad Massaad

ID#: 202205173

Mechanical Vibrations Lab, MEE 443

Instructor: Nicole Jureidini Wehbeh
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Tables...................................................................................2
1- Objective..................................................................................... 3
2- Equipment Required.......................................................................4
3- Equations used.............................................................................. 5
4- Procedure.................................................................................... 6
5- Results and Conclusions.................................................................. 7

Table of Tables
Table 1: Recorded values for Static Test...................................................................7
Table 2: Recorded values for Dynamic Test.............................................................8
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1-Objective
I - Static Test:
The objective of this experiment is to demonstrate that a helical spring, deflecting
as a result of applied force, conforms to Hooke's Law (deflection is proportional to
deflecting force),
F=kx
where k is the spring stiffness in N/m, and to calculate the spring stiffness for two
different springs using Hooke's law.

II- Dynamic Test:

The periodic time τ in a Mass-Spring system (for simple harmonic motion) is given
as

τ =2 π
√ M
k
The objective here is to show that the displacement obeys simple harmonic motion,
to show how mass affects the natural frequency or period of the system, and to
obtain the spring stiffness from the period for two different springs.
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2-Equipment Required
 TM160 Free Vibrations Test Frame
 TM164 Free Vibrations of a Mass Spring System Module
o long spring
o short spring
o 0.2 kg masses
 A back panel on the Mass Spring System holds two vertical guide rods and a
non-contacting displacement sensor. A spring suspends a balanced mass
platform, which moves freely up and down the guide rods. Two springs are
supplied, as well as five 0.2kg masses. The platform has a cursor to measure
spring extension using a scale on the back platform. The mass of the
platform is printed on a label on the front of the platform. The displacement
sensor measures the vertical movement of the platform and can be adjusted
to the correct position on a vertical runner before each experiment. In
addition, an acceleration sensor built into the platform measures acceleration
as the platform moves up and down.
 The equipment is connected to a VDAS (data acquisition) interface which is
in turn connected to a computer and allows readings to be taken on the
screen.
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3-Equations used

Exercise 1:
F=kx
F
k static=slope=
x

Exercise 2:

τ =2 π
√
2
M
k
2
4π 4 π .m
k dynamic = = 2
slope τ
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4-Procedure
I – Statis Test:
 Fit the long spring.
 With no masses fitted to the platform, read the initial value from the scale
pointer. This will be used as your reference.
 Add a 0.2 kg mass to the platform by sliding it onto the platform and
tightening the fixing to keep the mass secure.
 Read a new value from the scale pointer.
 The deflection due to the 0.2 kg mass is this value minus the initial
reference.
 Continue until you have used all the masses.

II – Dynamic Test:
 Start with an unloaded platform.
 Adjust the position of the sensor so that the activator is central to the dotted
lines on the clear cover.
 Using VDAS, select the "Dynamic Experiments" to see the oscilloscope-
style analog trace window.
 Click the start button. Use the Set Zero controls on the TM164 to set the
traces to the center of the trace window.
 Gently push the platform down and release to make it oscillate. You should
see the traces on the screen oscillate.
 After an initial settling period you should see uniform traces of displacement
and acceleration.
 The amplitude will slowly die away as the energy is lost to friction. Press the
stop button.
 Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the Trace Window to move to the start of
the traces.
 Use the cursors to measure the period (and thus frequency) of one complete
cycle.
 Verify that the period remains constant even after the amplitude decreases.
 Tabulate your results.
Add masses to the platform in varying increments until you reach a load of 1 kg.
At each addition, adjust the position of the sensor and repeat the above procedure.
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Change the spring by holding the platform while undoing the clips that secure the
spring. Fit the other spring and refit the clips. Repeat the experiment.
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5-Results and Conclusions

A- Static Test:
Table 1: Recorded values for Static Test

Long Spring Short Spring

M (Kg) F = M*g 1 x M (Kg) F = M*g l x
0 0 110 - 0 0 53 -
0.2 1.962 120 10 0.2 1.962 59 6
0.4 3.924 130 20 0.4 3.924 65 12
0.6 5.886 140 30 0.6 5.886 70 17
0.8 7.848 151 41 0.8 7.848 75 22
1 9.81 161 51 1 9.81 81 28

F vs Delta x
long spring Linear (long spring)
short spring Linear (short spring)
12
10
f(x) =
f(x) = 189.131450827653
351.698518221866 x
x++ 0.0663870496592018
0.655309571485783
Force (mg)

8 R²
R² =
= 0.955173636935751
0.999777437752121
6
4
2
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06
Displacement x

Hence, K is the slope of each plot:

Long spring Short Spring
k_static (N/m) 194.7 341.45
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B- Dynamic Test:
Table 2: Table showing the recorded values for Dynamic Test

Long Spring Short Spring

M (Kg) τ τ
2
M (Kg) τ τ
2

0.591 0.352 0.124 0.591 0.246 0.061

0.791 0.411 0.169 0.791 0.292 0.085
0.991 0.456 0.208 0.991 0.331 0.109
1.191 0.545 0.297 1.191 0.361 0.130
1.391 0.541 0.293 1.391 0.394 0.155
1.591 0.576 0.332 1.591 0.414 0.171

𝝉^2 vs M
"long spring" Linear ("long spring")
short spring Linear (short spring)
0.4

0.3 f(x) = 0.208071205714286 x + 0.00610818789904755

R² = 0.999133582974768
𝝉^2

0.2
f(x) = 0.104498714285714 x + 0.00479606938095238
0.1 R² = 0.981547753584921

0
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8
M

2
4π
Hence, for each plot: k =
slope

Long spring Short Spring

k_dynamic (N/m) 195.43 349.67
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Conclusions:
It’s crucial to keep in mind the occurrence of numerous errors including human error.
From the static test, when we plot the force F=Mg versus the spring's (x) deflection, we
can observe that the results almost perfectly curve fit to straight lines that passed through
the origin, indicating the linear behavior of the Hooke's force and spring constant
relation. This indicates that our results satisfy Hooke's Law, which states that F=k*x.
Furthermore, by utilizing the slope of the linear fits, we were able to determine the
effective spring constants, k (long spring) and k (short spring).

From the dynamic test, we were able to prove the relation τ =2 π

√ M
k
for the periodic time
of a Mass-Spring system. Given that the duration of an oscillation was determined using
the VDAS software, this was accomplished by visualizing the square of the time constant
T as a function of the variation in mass. The same data points that fit flawlessly into a
linear regression were obtained as previously, demonstrating the linear relationship
between the mass and the square of the time constant T. Since the slope of our linear fits
may be equivalent to τ^2/M=(4π^2)/k, we could therefore determine the impact spring
constants, k (long spring) and k (short spring).