Abstract:

The geometry of rotors, shafts, wheels and other rotating machinery parts is affected by manufacturing errors that result in eccentricities of the mass center with respect to the rotation axis. These eccentricities lead to the generation of periodic forces that act on the system and that are causing undesirable vibrations, with intensities increasing with rotation speed and eccentricity. The analytical bases, the assessment and the control of this phenomenon are taught in mechanical vibration courses, in engineering faculties. The authors have developed an original computer program for the animated graphical representation of a system with eccentric rotating masses, to simplify the understanding of its vibrations and to facilitate the link between the theoretical apparatus and practical observations. The program allows the interactive modification of system parameters, so that the students are able to identify the undesirable working regimes. Suggestive graphics and animations are designed such as to allow an intuitive perception of the phenomena. Part of a larger suite of applications developed by the authors during more than one decade, the program is meant to be used during application sessions at University “Politehnica” of Bucharest.

Keywords:

Mechanical systems, e-learning, vibrations, engineering faculties.