Middle East Technical University

AE383

Fall 2015

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Dr. Ali Trker Kutay
Dilber Derya Kaya

Homework #1
Due: Wednesday, 02/12/2015 16:30
1. Consider the spring-mass-damper system shown in the figure below.

()

= 1
= 2
= 2 ()

a) (3 points) Find the response of the system when a sinusoidal force () = 2 sin() is applied with
zero initial conditions (0) =

=0

= 0. You should obtain the () expression manually (without

using MATLAB) as if this was an in-class exam.

b) (3 points) Repeat part a) using a higher frequency sinusoidal force () = 2 sin(5) with the same
amplitude. Then plot the input forces for both parts a) and b) on the same figure in the range from
= 0 to = 10 . Also plot the responses for inputs parts on a separate figure. Observe that even
though the input forces have the same amplitudes there is a significant difference between the
amplitudes of the responses. Explain why the response amplitudes are different considering the
physics of the system.
c) (3 points) Find the response of the system when the system is released from an initial position of
= 0.2 at an initial speed of

=0

= 0.5 . Also find the speed of the mass ( ) as a

function of time. You need to find the () and () expressions manually without using computer.
Then plot () and () in the range from = 0 to = 10 .
2. Refer to the car suspension problem studied in the class.
= 250 kg
mass of the car / 4
= 15 kg
mass of the wheel assembly
= 30,000 N/m spring constant of the suspension system
= 5,000 Ns/m damping constant of the suspension system
= 75,000 N/m spring constant that represents tire compressibility
= 1,000 Ns/m damping constant of the tire
:
position of the car in m
:
position of the wheel in m
:
coordinate of the road in m

The behavior of the system is represented by the following differential equations:

+ ( ) + ( ) = 0
( ) ( ) + ( ) + ( ) = 0
where that represents variations on the road surface is the disturbance input to the system.

a) (2 points) Find the 2 1 transfer function matrix from disturbance input to outputs[ ].

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Middle East Technical University

AE383
b)

c)

d)

e)

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Fall 2015
Dr. Ali Trker Kutay
Dilber Derya Kaya
(3 points) For the numerical values given, find the response of the car when it hits a curb with 5
height. In other words find the () expression when () is a step input with 0.05 amplitude.
You may use MATLABs residue function in this problem. Plot () versus .
(2 points) Repeat part b) by directly simulating the system using Matlabs lsim function. Note that
this time you dont get the () expression, but instead you get numerical values for at a number
of time points. Plot () versus . Make sure that your plots for parts b) and c) are the same.
(2 points) Simulate the system one more time with the same disturbance input. This time change
the value of the tire spring constant to = 150,000 N/m. This models the case where the tire is
made stiffer by pumping more air into it. Plot () versus on the same figure with the previous
response.
(2 points) Simulate the system one more time with the same disturbance input. Use the original
system parameters except the suspension damping coefficient. Suppose that the oil in the damper
has leaked and the damping coefficient reduced to = 500 Ns/m. Plot () versus .

3. (5 points) Consider the car suspension problem in the previous question. Add a second disturbance input
to the system as a force () acting on the car as shown in the figure.
()
Modify the equations of motion given in the previous question to include

this input. Then obtain the transfer function matrix from disturbance inputs

[ ] to outputs [ ]. Finally simulate the system to find the response of

to a step input force with a magnitude of 200 . This simulates the case
where a passenger sits in the car and his weight acts as a step force on the

suspension system. Use = 0 for this simulation. Plot () versus .

4. (5 points) Consider the systems with the following transfer functions. Find analytical expressions for the
responses of these systems to unit step inputs (without using Matlab). Plot () versus for for each of
these systems. Obtain same result using MATLAB-Simulink and compare the plots ().
a) () =
b) () =
c) () =
d) () =
e) () =

1
2 +2+2
1
2 +2

2 +22+2
1
2 2+2
1
2 22+2

5. (5 points) Solve the following differential equation using Laplace Transformation.

+ 2 + 10 =

(0) = 0

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(0) = 0

Middle East Technical University

AE383
6. (5 points) A function

()
()

Fall 2015

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Dr. Ali Trker Kutay
Dilber Derya Kaya

consists of the following zeros, poles, and gain:

Zeros at = 1, and = 2, poles at = 0, = 4, = 6, and gain = 5

Find the expression for

()
()

using MATLAB. Write your MATLAB code as an m-file with explanations.

7. (5 points) Obtain the partial-fraction expansion of the following function using MATLAB:
() =

10( + 2)( + 4)
( + 1)( + 3)( + 5)2

8.(5 points) Obtain the equations of motion for the following system:

9. (5 points) Simplify the block diagram shown in the following figure:

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