3D Printed Laboratory Equipment for Mechanical Vibrations and Control Theory Courses

In many institutions, limited resources for laboratory equipment can inhibit student learning of dynamics, vibrations, and control concepts due to constraints on the use of available turnkey laboratory equipment. The laboratory components for these courses are often limited as the equipment is expensive, few in number, and bulky. Dynamics is one of the main branches of mechanical engineering consisting of dynamics, mechanical vibrations, and introduction to control theory which primarily focuses on the derivation of the mathematical model of vibratory mechanisms, systems, and machines to further analyze their response to any given input. Students need to develop a "feel" for vibration and control theory parameters before starting to design the system that needs to be controlled. To address this need we designed and developed several 3D printed laboratory equipment for undergraduate level mechanical vibrations and control theory courses along with their learning activities. The presented portable laboratory mechanisms are designed to demonstrate the fundamentals of vibrations by illustrating the concepts taught in introductory-level mechanical vibrations and control theory courses. 3D printed laboratory equipment can be taken to the classroom, provided to the students by building several of the same setups as a class activity, homework, or laboratory assignment. Assuming that a student has a strong knowledge of statics and dynamics which are the pre-requisites of the vibrations and control theory courses, the learning objectives that can be covered using the proposed laboratory equipment are: (1) derive the equation of motion of SDOF and 2 DOF vibratory mechanisms, (2) acquire data from accelerometer and encoder using Arduino or NI DAQ and MATLAB, (3) calculate the damping and stiffness from experimental data using logarithmic decrement method for underdamped systems, and (4) find the free and forced response of systems using MATLAB Simulink. This would allow students to apply their knowledge to an applied engineering problem. An ancient proverb well describes the need for hands-on learning as "Tell me, and I forget; Show me, and I remember; Involve me, and I understand".