Experimental Investigation of Dynamics of Assembly with Typical Mechanical Joint
Mechanical joints have a significant influence on the dynamics of assembled structure due to its discontinuity, uncertainty, frictional contact and micro-slip along the interface. To study the effect of mechanical interface on vibration behavior of industrial product, it is necessary to capture vibration data and investigate modal properties. In order to study effects of typical mechanical joints, double plates coupled with bolted joint are manufactured. Corresponding welded specimen was also manufactured for comparison and reference. Specimens were suspended by two flexible nylon cords for a free–free boundary condition and series of modal tests were carried out. Experimental results reveal that the preload in bolted joint affects the vibration behavior of assembly greatly, and the dynamic stiffness and natural frequency could be enhanced by increasing preload values of specimen. Bolted joints give rise to more frictional damping capacity within lower preload range in this test and welded specimen shows up much higher frequency and similar damping ratio.