Structural Dynamics and Vibration in Practice

1

Basic Concepts

Contents

1.1 Statics, dynamics and structural dynamics

1.2 Coordinates, displacement, velocity and acceleration

1.3 Simple harmonic motion

1.4 Mass, stiffness and damping

1.5 Energy methods in structural dynamics

1.6 Linear and non-linear systems

1.7 Systems of units

References

This introductory chapter discusses some of the basic concepts in the fascinating subject of structural dynamics.

1.1 Statics, dynamics and structural dynamics

Statics deals with the effect of forces on bodies at rest. Dynamics deals with the motion of nominally rigid bodies. The two aspects of dynamics are kinematics and kinetics. Kinematics is concerned only with the motion of bodies with geometric constraints, irrespective of the forces acting. ...