Free VibrationTwo numbers describe any mount: natural frequency and damping ratio.Mechanical EngineeringAn undamped mass on a spring oscillates at onenatural frequency, set only by stiffness and mass.ωn = √(k ÷ m) · zeta = c ÷ 2√(km) · ωd = ωn√(1 − zeta²)k = 4000 N/m, m = 10 kgωn = 20 rad/sAbout 3.2 Hz.zeta = 0.05ωd is 99.9% of ωnBarely shifted.zeta = 1Critically dampedFastest, no overshoot.THE COMMON MISTAKEAdding mass to cure a resonanceCheck which way ωn movesNatural frequency falls as mass rises. If the forcing sits above resonance, extramass drags ωn towards it and makes the vibration worse.Assumes small amplitude and linear stiffness. Real rubber mountsstiffen as they deflect.Free Vibrationlearnposters.com
Free Vibration — printable engineering wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Free Vibration poster

The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes.

Assumes small amplitude and linear stiffness. Real rubber mounts stiffen as they deflect.

Questions about the Free Vibration poster

What’s on the Free Vibration poster?
The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes. An undamped mass on a spring oscillates at one natural frequency, set only by stiffne…; ωn = √(k ÷ m) · zeta = c ÷ 2√(km) · ωd = ωn√(1 − zeta²); k = 4000 N/m, m = 10 kg = ωn = 20 rad/s; zeta = 0.05 = ωd is 99.9% of ωn; zeta = 1 = Critically damped; Common mistake: Adding mass to cure a resonance → Check which way ωn moves. Assumes small amplitude and linear stiffness. Real rubber mounts stiffen as they deflect.
Who is the Free Vibration poster for?
Free Vibration belongs to the Mechanical Engineering section rather than to a school year, because engineering is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning statics & dynamics can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Free Vibration poster?
Sizing isolators, chasing a resonance, or reading a machine vibration spectrum. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Free Vibration belongs on the wall where that engineering work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Free Vibration?
Finding a Centroid, Dry Friction and Energy or Momentum? sit alongside Free Vibration in the Mechanical Engineering section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Finding a CentroidDry FrictionEnergy or Momentum?
Is the Free Vibration poster free to download and print?
Yes. Free Vibration downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Mechanical Engineering section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Free Vibration poster print at?
Free Vibration is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Free Vibration loses nothing.Printing guide

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