Universal Vibration Apparatus

The Universal Vibration Apparatus provides a complete, flexible platform for studying the fundamental principles of vibration, including free and forced vibration, resonance, and damping. The system features a pivoted beam mounted to the Vibration Frame, with an adjustable spring at the free end to permit controlled oscillation. The spring’s horizontal position can be precisely set using the built-in adjustment mechanism, and the motion range is safely limited by factory-set end stops.

Vibrations can be generated either by manually displacing the beam or by using the supplied Motor Exciter. The motor includes integral imbalance weights that, when rotated, produce controlled forced vibration.

Excitation frequency is managed and displayed through either the Matrix Data Acquisition box or the supplied software, with both frequency and beam displacement captured for analysis.

A comprehensive damping kit is included, comprising adjustable damping discs, a damping tank, and damping media. These components allow students to explore different levels and types of damping. A tunable dynamic absorber is also supplied, enabling investigation into resonance mitigation. To extend experimental capability, a set of calibrated weights is provided to vary the effective mass of the system.

The result is a robust, versatile apparatus ideal for demonstrating and analysing core vibration phenomena in an educational environment.

Learning Objectives:

• Spring stiffness​
• Resonance frequency​
• Active and inactive damping absorber​
• Free vibration​
• Forced vibration​
• Damped vibration​
• Damping ratio​
• Tuning of damping absorber​
• Amplitude response and phase response