ENME Webcast Fall 2006
Leaders in Mechanical Engineering Lecture Series
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Title: Exciting Vibrations
Professor
David J. Ewins
Imperial College London
Original Air Date: Friday, October 6th at 2:00pm
Abstract: The vibration of engineering structures continues to present a major challenge to a wide spectrum of applications and at a wide range of levels: for the integrity and safety of critical structures found in aerospace or defence applications, the reliability of long-running machines such as air conditioning and heating units, and the commercial imperative to produce silent vehicles and domestic products. The demands on the vibration engineer to deliver ever-improving dynamic characteristics seem never ending. This lecture reviews the highlights of a study of vibration engineering in pursuit of resolving these issues which spans 5 decades, and culminates in a strategy for the next 5-10 years. Two major topics run through the entire period of this study and feature throughout the talk. The first is the technology which is now called Modal Testing (or Modal Analysis) and which refers to an integrated experimental-analytical methodology of dealing with vibration problems. The second is a specific application area - that of rotating machines, and specifically the gas turbines used for aircraft propulsion and power generation. The talk charts developments and progress in these two areas which have led to the practice of modal testing around the world, and to the creation of two centres of excellence for studying rotating machine dynamics: the Rolls-Royce sponsored UTC at Imperial College and the Temasek Centre for Mechanics of Microsystems in Singapore (which is primarily concerned with the mechanics of computer hard disc drives). In this context damage detection and estimation will be considered. The final part of the talk presents a new strategy for developments in Vibration Engineering over the next 5-10 years that which are believed to offer the possibility for major improvements to be made in this important area of engineering.
