Mechanical

Modeling of
Systems

Mechanical
Liquid
Electrical
1
 Instructional Objectives
In this lesson students will:
1) Review the mechanical, electrical, hydraulic ,pneumatic, and
fluid fundamentals
2) Learn how to find and construct mathematical model for
linear time invariant mechanical, electrical, pneumatic ,
hydraulic, and fluid systems.
3) Review of Laplace transform as applied to transfer function
4) Solve practical samples and application
 System Modeling Definition
Systems modeling or system modeling is the
interdisciplinary study of the use of models to
conceptualize and construct systems in
engineering.(mechanical, hydraulic, fluid,liquid level,
electrical , electromechanical and thermal).
• System analysis, acquiring information on various
aspects of system performance. system analysis was
carried out using the physical system subjected to
test input signals, observing its corresponding
response.
• System model, a simplified representation of
the physical system under analysis .
 Dynamic systems
To be able to describe how the output of a system
depends on its input and how the output changes with
time when the input changes, we need a mathematical
equation relating the input and output. The following
describes how we can arrive at the input-output
relationships for systems by considering them to be
composed of just a few simple basic elements.

Thus, if we want to develop a model for a car suspension

we need to consider how easy it is to extend or compress
it, i.e. its stiffness, the forces damping out any motion of
the suspension and the mass of the system and so its
resistance of the system to acceleration, i.e. its inertia.
 Car Suspension System

So we think of the model as having the

separate elements of stiffness, damping
and inertia which we can represent by a
spring, a dashpot and a mass (Figure ) and
then write down equations for the
behaviour of each element using the
fundamental physical laws governing the
behaviour of each element. This way of
modelling a system is known as
lumped-parameter modelling.
 Mechanical systems
Mechanical systems, however complex, have stiffness
(or springiness),damping and inertia and can be
considered to be composed of basic elements which
can be represented by springs, dashpots and masses.
 1 Spring
The 'springiness' or 'stiffness' of a system can be represented
by an ideal spring (ideal because it has only springiness and
no other properties). For a linear spring (Figure a), the
extension y is proportional to the applied extending force F
and we have:

F=ky

where k is a constant termed the stiffness.

2 Dashpot
The 'damping' of a mechanical system can be represented by a dashpot.
This is a piston moving in a viscous medium, e.g. oil, in a cylinder (Figure
b). Movement of the piston inwards requires the trapped fluid to flow out
past edges of the piston; movement outwards requires fluid to flow past
the piston and into the enclosed space. For such a system, the resistive
force F which has to be overcome is proportional to the velocity of the
piston and hence the rate of change of displacement y with time, i.e.
dy/dt. Thus we can write:
Dashpot --this
device uses the
viscous drag of
a fluid, such as
oil, to provide a
resistance that
is related
linearly to
velocity.
where c is a constant. ; i. e., c is the viscous damping coefficient, given in
units of newton seconds per meter (N s/m)
3 Mass
The 'inertia' of a system, i.e. how much it resists being accelerated
can be represented by mass. For a mass m (Figure c), the
relationship between the applied force F and its acceleration a is
given by Newton's second law as F = ma. But acceleration is the
rate of change of velocity v with time /, i.e. a = dy/dt, and velocity
is the rate of change of displacement y with time, i.e. v = dy/dt.
Thus a = d(dy/dt)/dt and so we can write
 Example
Derive a model for the
mechanical system
represented by the
system of mass,
spring and dashpot
given in Figure a. The
input to the system
is the force F and the
output is the
displacement y.
To obtain the system model
we draw free-body diagrams,
these being diagrams of
masses showing just the
external forces acting on
each mass. For the system in
Figure a ,we have just one
mass and so just one
free-body diagram and that
is shown in Figure b. As the
free-body diagram indicates,
the net force acting on the
mass is the applied force
minus the forces exerted by
the spring and by the
dashpot:
Then applying Newton's second law, this force must be equal to
ma, where a is the acceleration, and so:

The Net force is the force

applied to the mass to
cause it to accelerate.

The term second-order is used because the equation includes

as its highest derivative d2y/dt2.
 Application Example: Mechanical
Spring-dashpot-mass model
Problem 1. Derive the differential equation describing the
relationship between the input force F and the output of the
displacement x for the system shown below.

Solution:
Netforce=F- k1x-k2x; but Netforce= md2x/dt2;

therefore md2x/dt2; =F- k1x-k2x md2x/dt2; + x(k1-k2) = F

Ans..
Problem No.2.
Derive the differential equation describing
the motion of the mass m1 in the figure
when a force F is applied.
Solution:
Using Hooke’s Law
Consider first just m1 and the force acting
on it. ; thus the force on the lower spring
is k(x2-x1);
then the force exerted by the upper spring
is k2(x3-x2).
Net force=k1(x2-x1) – k2(x3-x2)

The net force will cause the mass to have

an acceleration F
md2x/dt2; =k1(x2-x1) – k2(x3-x2)
Hence, the final equation is
But F=k1(x2-x1), the force
causing the extension of the md2x/dt2 + K2(x3-x2)=F;
lower spring.
Problem No. 3
Derive a differential equation relating the input and output for
each of the systems shown in figure a.

Figure a

Answer.
 Rotational systems
• In control systems we are often concerned with
rotational systems, e.g. we might want a model
for the behavior of a motor drive shaft (Figure)
and how the driven load rotation will be related
to the rotational twisting input to the drive
shaft.
• For rotational
systems the basic
building blocks
are a torsion
spring, a rotary
damper and the
moment of
inertia (Figure a,
b, c).
1 Torsional spring

The 'springiness' or 'stiffness' of a rotational spring is

represented by a torsional spring. For a torsional spring, the
angle θ rotated is proportional to the torque T:

where k is a measure of the stiffness of the spring.

2 Rotational dashpot

The damping inherent in rotational motion is represented by

a rotational dashpot. For a rotational dashpot, i.e. effectively
a disk rotating in a fluid, the resistive torque T is proportional
to the angular velocity θ and thus:

where c is the damping constant.

 3 .Inertia
The inertia of a rotational system is represented by the moment
of inertia of a mass.
A torque T applied to a mass with a moment of inertia I results
in an angular acceleration a and thus, since angular acceleration
is the rate of change of angular velocity ω with time, i.e. dω/dt,
and angular velocity ω is the rate of change of angle θ with
time, i.e. dθ/dt, then the angular acceleration is d(dθ /dt)/dt and
so:
Example

Develop a model for the

system shown in
Figure a of the
rotation of a disk as a
result of twisting a
shaft. Figure (b)
shows the free-body
diagram for the
system.
 The torques acting on the disk are the applied torque T,
the spring torque kθ and the damping torque cw. Hence:

We thus have the second-order differential equation

relating the input of the torque to the output of the angle of
twist:
Application Example:
Rotational system

A motor is used to rotate a load.

Devise a model and obtain a
differential equation for it.

Answer: a) Rotating mass on the end of the shaft

Id2θ/dt2 + c dθ/dt + kθ=T

b) The building block model

Problem 2
Derive a differential equation relating the input and output for
each of the systems shown in the figure .

Figure

Answer.

From T- cdθ/dt - k θ
 Analogous Quantities
(Force-Voltage Analogy)
Mechanical System
Electrical System
Translatory Rotational
Force (f) Torque (T) Voltage (e)
Mass (M) Moment of Inertia (J) Inductance (L)
Viscous friction Viscous friction Resistance (R)
Coefficient (C) Coefficient (C)
Spring Stiffness (K) Torsional Spring Reciprocal of
Stiffness (K) Capacitance (1/C)
Displacement (x) Angular Displacement (θ) Charge (q)
Velocity(x) Angular Velocity(·θ) Current (i)
 Analogous Quantities
(Force-Current Analogy)
Mechanical System
Electrical System
Translatory Rotational
Force (f) Torque (T) Current (i)
Displacement (x) Angular Flux linkages (F)
Displacement ( (θ)
Velocity(x) Angular Velocity (θ) Voltage (e)
Mass (M) Moment of Inertia (J) Capacitance (C)
Viscous friction Viscous friction Reciprocal of
Coefficient (B) Coefficient (f) Resistance (1/R)
Spring (K) Torsional Spring Reciprocal of
Constant (K) Inductance (1/L)
Work Out Exercise
Xi=input
Xo=output
 Electrical
Systems
The basic elements of
electrical systems are the pure
components of resistor,
inductor and capacitor
(Figure), the term pure is used
to indicate that the resistor
only possesses the property of
resistance, the inductor only
inductance and the capacitor
only capacitance.
1 Resistor
For a resistor, resistance R, the potential
difference v across it when there is a current i
through it is given by:
2 Inductor
• For an inductor, inductance L, the potential
difference v across it at any instant depends
on the rate of change of current i and is:
 Electrical Application problems
Problem 1.
Derive the transfer function shown below:
Example 1
The differential equations for the given circuit are as
follows:

II

III
 Taking the Laplace transforms of these
equations, assuming zero initial conditions

3
 Eqn. 2

Multiplying
the fraction Eqn. 4
by Cs
Equation 1

Equation 4
Factor out the common term I1(s)

By long multiplication
Rearranging and factoring out common terms

Capacitor and
inductor works
inversely by
electrical operation,
so it will be
cancelled

Eq.5
From Equation 3 and 4, we have to form equation 6

4
 EQ 5

EQ 5

Final Transfer
Function
 Fluid and Liquid Systems
A common fluid control system involves liquid flowing into a container and out of it
through a valve, the requirement being to control the level of the liquid in the container.
For such a system we need a model which indicates how the height of liquid in the
container is related to the rates of inflow and outflow.

For a fluid system the three building blocks are resistance, capacitance and
inertance; these are the equivalents of electrical resistance, capacitance and inductance.
The equivalent of electrical current is the volumetric rate of flow and of potential
difference is pressure difference.

Hydraulic Resistance
Hydraulic Capacitance
Hydraulic Inertance
Figure shows the basic form of building blocks for hydraulic
systems.
1 Hydraulic resistance
• Hydraulic resistance R is the resistance to
flow which occurs when a liquid flows from
one diameter pipe to another (Figure a) and
is defined as being given by the hydraulic
equivalent of Ohm's law:

R=p1-p2/q
2 Hydraulic capacitance
• Hydraulic capacitance C is the term used to
describe energy storage where the hydraulic
liquid is stored in the form of potential
energy (Figure b). The rate of change of
volume V of liquid stored is equal to the
difference between the volumetric rate at
which liquid enters the container q1 and the
rate at which it leaves q2, i.e.
;h=p/ρg
3 Hydraulic inertance
• Hydraulic inertance is the equivalent of
inductance in electrical systems. To
accelerate a fluid a net force is required and
this is provided by the pressure difference
(Figure c). Thus:
 Example
• Develop a model for the hydraulic system
shown in Figure where there is a liquid
entering a container at one rate q1 and leaving
through a valve at another rate q2.
Example : Fluid Modeling