Module overview
Vibration is the oscillation of a mechanical structure, and engineers meet it everywhere. Sometimes it is the whole point, as in the strings of a guitar or the human vocal cords, but far more often it is unwanted, as in an electric motor or an entire car. In either case, modelling lets the designer understand and predict that motion, so vibration can be deliberately achieved or reliably avoided. The most effective and economical control comes from careful engineering early in the design cycle, yet engineers are often called upon to tame vibration late, when major structural changes are too costly or would compromise other performance targets.
This module introduces the fundamentals of mechanical vibration to students from a range of backgrounds and with little or no prior experience of the subject. You will learn to model, analyse and control vibrational behaviour, and you will gain hands-on experience of vibration measurement. Along the way, you will see how vibration considerations shape the design of mechanical structures and you will build a practical toolkit of techniques for diagnosing and troubleshooting vibration problems when they arise.
By the end of the module, you will be able to model and analyse the vibration of engineering structures, interpret measurements, and select appropriate strategies to control unwanted vibration. These are core skills for any engineer working in dynamics, noise and vibration, or mechanical design, and they provide the foundation for the more advanced vibration, acoustics and structural dynamics topics you will meet later in the programme.