BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI 
HYDERABAD CAMPUS 
First Semester 2011 – 2012  
Comprehensive Examination (Regular – Open Book) 
Course No: CE G 551                                                                  Course Name: Dynamics of structures                            
Date: 02/12/2011 (Friday‐ FN)                    Duration: 90Min                         Maximum Marks:  30      

Instructions: Answer all questions. Each answer should start from a new page.
Softcopies of textbooks or any relevant material are not allowed, Only hard copies are Allowed.
Assume suitable data if necessary and mention the same.
Use of Mobiles/Electronic gadgets is strictly prohibited.

1. The seating arrangement in a stadium is mounted on Precast, prestressed concrete T-

beam, which is simply supported and has a span of 11.7m. The cross-sectional details of
the T-beam are depicted in the Figure1. The superimposed load due to fixed seats and
spectators can be taken as 2.4kN/m2. Clapping and stamping by spectators during a
sporting event impress a harmonic dynamic load on the beams. Field observations were
done on this beam and it was found that frequency of harmonic load was found to be
3Hz, load amplitude was found to be 0.4KN/m2, damping is 3% of critical value. Idealize
the T-beam and the seating supported by it into an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom
system and
• Determine the natural frequency of the system, the maximum dynamic
deflection, and the magnitude of the maximum acceleration experienced by the
spectators (Express in terms of g). (9)
• Also calculate the equivalent static load that can be applied on the beam to
produce the calculated maximum deflection and specify the total superimposed
load the beams should carry in addition to its self weight. (6)

2. An elevated water tank is idealized as an SDOF system. It weighs 250,000kg, when filled
with water. The centroid of the water tank is at a height of 10m from the ground. The
spring constant is found to be k = 9000kg per cm. The water tank is subjected to a
dynamic load with a rise time Δt= 0.075 sec. The maximum value of force is given as
F= 10,000kg. The table below gives the values of DLFmax for different ratios of Δt/Tn.
Compute the bending moment at the base of the tank. Take g=980cm/sec2.Tn is the time
period of the system. (5)
Δt/Tn DLFmax
0.0001  1.98 
0.0709  1.59 
1.00  0.00 

3. Find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors for the undamped MDOF system shown in Figure2
having following dynamic characteristics. Mass: m1 = 1kg; m2 = 2kg; Stiffness: k1 =
10N/m; k2 =10N/m. (a) Scale the eigenvectors so that the largest absolute element in each
column is set to unity. and (5)
• Demonstrate that transformation to modal coordinates using the eigenvectors as
modes enables the equations to be written as uncoupled single-DOF systems. (5)

Figure1 (Problem1)

Figure2 (Problem3)
  
 
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI 
HYDERABAD CAMPUS 
First Semester 2011 – 2012  
Comprehensive Examination (Regular – closed Book) 
Course No: CE G 551                                                                  Course Name: Dynamics of structures                            
Date: 02/12/2011 (Friday‐ FN)                    Duration: 90Min                         Maximum Marks:  30      

Instructions: Answer all questions. Each answer should start from a new page.
Assume suitable data if necessary and mention the same.
Use of Mobiles/Electronic gadgets is strictly prohibited.

1. A sensitive instrument that requires to be insulated from vibration is to be installed in a

laboratory, where a reciprocating machine is in use. The vibrations of the floor of the
laboratory may be assumed to be a simple harmonic motion having a frequency in the range
1000 to 3000 cycles per minute. The instrument is to be mounted on a small platform and
supported on four springs arranged to carry equal loads. The combined mass of the instrument
and supporting table is 5 kg. Calculate a suitable value for the stiffness of each spring if the
amplitude of transmitted vibrations is to be less than 15% of the floor vibrations over the given
frequency range. Assume that the damping is negligible. (5)

2. In the modeling of a certain structure, the natural frequencies of the first three normal modes,
as calculated, and then verified by tests, were given as f1 = 10.1Hz, f2 = 17.8Hz, f3 = 25.3Hz.
The measured viscous damping coefficients are given by ζ1=0.018, ζ2=0.027 and ζ3=0.035.
If the modal vectors were scaled to make them orthonormal with respect to mass matrix, (mass
matrix is unity) then write down the equations of motion. (5)

3. The Two degree of freedom system shown below starts from rest and is subjected to suddenly
applied constant force of magnitude 100 (in consistent units) along the second degree of
freedom. Calculate response of the system for first four time steps (Adopt time step as 0.5sec
for LAM and 10sec for AAM) using (20)
• Linear Acceleration Method (LAM) and Average Acceleration Method (AAM).

u& i +1 = u& i + [(1 − γ )Δt ]u&&i  +  (γΔt )u&&i +1  and                          

[ ] [
u i +1 = u i + (Δt )u& i + (0.5 − β )(Δt ) u&&i + β (Δt ) u&&i +1    
2 2
]
when    γ =0.5 and  β =1/6   the above equations correspond to Linear Acceleration Method

when    γ =0.5 and  β =1/4   the above equations correspond to Average Acceleration Method