To provide an appreciation of the critical design issues associated with vibrations in aircraft and spacecraft structures and devices. To enable students to analyse vibrational problems with standard mathematical tools for linear systems, and design simple vibration absorption and isolation systems.

Oscillatory motion; free vibration of single degree of freedom systems; harmonically excited vibration; transient vibration; vibrations under general forcing conditions; systems with two or more degrees of freedom; modal analysis; random vibrations in space launchers.

Ability to: * Create idealised linear vibrational models of aircraft structures or components, with appropriate number and type (translational or rotational) degrees of freedom. * Determine equations of motion for lumped parameter vibrational models of n-degree-of-freedom systems, using free-body diagram methods and/or energy methods, and diagonalise those equations using modal analysis. * Solve for the free vibrational motion of undamped and damped systems with up to three degrees of freedom. * Solve for the forced (both periodic and non-periodic) vibrational motion of undamped and damped systems with up to three degrees of freedom. * Design and evaluate simple vibration isolation and absorption systems. * Describe the sources of vibration in space launchers and explain the basic principles of random vibration analysis methods, including power spectral density and frequency response.

Ability to: * Co-operate with other members of small groups to undertake written assignments

N/A

Lectures + tutorials covering sample worked problems. Homework assignments each week involving solving problems in vibrational analysis. Laboratories in single degree of freedom systems undergoing resonance and natural modes of two degree of freedom systems. Latest techniques for ground vibration testing of aircraft and spacecraft will be addressed. • Knowledgeable: students will cement knowledge gained on linear systems analysis in their mathematics modules, and dynamics in their engineering mechanics modules, by applying it vibrations problems in aerospace systems. They will further their abilities in developing mathematical models of real-life systems, with appropriate level of detail to study vibrations. They will gain an overview of vibration testing in the aerospace industry. • Proactive/Creative: students will learn of the dangerous consequences of not addressing vibrations in structural design, and the need to be proactive and creative in producing minimum weight solutions. • Responsible/Collaborative: laboratory demonstration on resonance will illustrate the extreme vibrations that can occur when systems enter resonance, and the serious responsibilities engineers face when designing or modifying structures subjected to dynamic loading. Students will work in groups to complete all the assignments, where they will have to learn to collaborate. • Articulate: students will need to learn how to articulate their point of view to their assignment partners in order to reach the desired outcome.