ME2050

School of Engineering and Applied Science

ME2050 - Dynamics and Control
Mock Exam 2, 2020
CLOSED BOOK

Date: XX
Time: XX
Duration: 2 hours

Instructions to Candidates
1. Answer 4 out of 5 questions
2. All questions carry 20 marks
3. Use of calculators IS allowed. Students must bring their own calculator which
must be from the Casio FX-83, Casio FX-85, HP10s or HP10s+ series. No other
type of calculator is allowed.

Materials provided
1. Answer booklets
2. Appendix: ME2050 Formula sheet (is attached with the question paper)

Do not write/mark your answers on this paper. Use the exam stationery provided.

This exam paper must not be removed from the exam room.

This examination is subject to the Examination Regulations for Candidates

 ME2050
Question 1.

The starship USS Enterprise is positioned in geosynchronous orbit around earth, where its
relative motion allows them to physically stay at the same point above the ground at all times
by having a time period matched to exactly one sidereal day (23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1
seconds). Assume circular orbit and the total mass of the starship to be 50,000,000 kg.

(a) Calculate the radius of the geosynchronous orbit; and thus, find the orbit height h0 of
the satellite from the ground? Explain how the mass of the object influences your
calculation. Explain if your derivation would still apply if the orbit was elliptical?
[6 marks]

(b) One of the Enterprise’s impulse engines misfired and started to send the starship
crashing towards the earth from its initial orbit height h0 with an initial velocity v0 of 800
m/s. Ignoring air friction, what will be its velocity upon impact?
[5 marks]

(c) In your attempt to save the starship, you need to confirm that the acceleration due to
gravity at a height h above the earth surface can be approximated (for small h) by
(Eqn. 1). [Use the expansion: (1 + x)n ≃ 1 + nx for x<<1].
[5 marks]
2ℎ
𝑔# = 𝑔 %1 − ,
𝑅+
(Eqn. 1)

(d) Using the relationship from part (c), calculate the acceleration due to earth gravity gh
at h = 10 km above earth surface; and thus, calculate the minimum thrust (force) the
Enterprise’s impulse engines must produce in order to reverse the free fall at height h.
[4 marks]

(End of Question 1)

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 ME2050
Question 2.

A solid disk wheel of radius R and mass M, pinned at its centre, is initially at rest but free to
rotate (see figure 1). R = 30 cm and M = 1 kg.

Figure 1: Rotating disks

(a) Case 1 (see figure 1b): a smaller disk of radius r and mass m has an angular velocity
ω0 rad/s. This rotating smaller disk falls onto the initial disk with negligible speed and
their centres coincide. Values: r = 10 cm, m = 0.2 kg, ω0 = 4𝜋 rad/s.

Using conservation of angular momentum, derive an expression for and find the final
angular velocity ω.

Derive and express the rotational kinetic energy of the final system after collision as a
fraction of the initial rotational kinetic energy of the smaller disk. What does this derived
expression physically represent?

Comment on whether rotational kinetic energy is conserved here, knowing that angular
momentum is definitely conserved. Under what conditions would rotational kinetic
energy be conserved and when would it not be conserved?

[10 marks]

(Question 2 continues to the next page)

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 ME2050

(b) Case 2 (see figure 1c): a bullet of mass m, moving at horizontal velocity v, hits and
lodges onto the rim of the solid disk wheel. Assume this to be an inelastic collision.
Values: m = 0.010 kg, v = 1,000 m/s.

Comment and explain on which of these 3 parameters are conserved and which are
not: mechanical energy, linear momentum and angular momentum.

Using conservation of angular momentum, derive an expression for and find the final
angular velocity of the wheel and bullet system.

Where should the bullet hit if the angular velocity before and after is to be the same?

[10 marks]

(End of Question 2)

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 ME2050
Question 3.
The suspension in a car has a natural frequency of 0.5 Hz. The road the car is driving on has
speed bumps evenly placed at 30 m apart. The equations for a second order mass-spring
damper system and its natural frequency are given in (Eqn. 2) and (Eqn. 3).

𝑑0 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑚 0 +𝑐 + 𝑘𝑥 = 𝐹7 cos(𝜔𝑡)
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
(Eqn. 2)

𝑘
𝜔7 = ?
𝑚
(Eqn. 3)

(a) Assuming the crossing of each bump as an impact force on the car system, at what
speed would the car start to experience violent shaking (resonance)? Explain what
is resonance?
[4 marks]

(b) For the system in part (a), it can be modelled as a mass-spring-damper system
being subjected to a periodic forcing as shown in equation 1 and driven into
fundamental mode resonance. Due to the presence of damping, the response
amplitude eventually saturates. Sketch the response amplitude of the oscillator in
the time domain. Label the transient and steady state regions.
[4 marks]

(c) For a damped oscillator that has experienced only one initial impact (a car going
across a road with only 1 bump), sketch the response amplitude of the oscillator in
the time domain. Assume an under damped scenario. Label the transient and
steady state regions.
[4 marks]

(Question 3 continues to the next page)

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 ME2050
(d) Show (by deriving and explaining) that the maximum resonant amplitude is attained
when the excitation frequency is as in (Eqn. 4). [Help: steady state particular
solution given in (Eqn. 5) and (Eqn. 6)]. Does damping significantly impact the
resonant frequency and why?
[8 marks]

𝑐0
𝜔 = ?𝜔70 −
2𝑚0

(Eqn. 4)

𝑥(𝑡) = 𝑥7 cos(𝜔𝑡 − 𝜙)
(Eqn. 5)

𝐹7
𝑥7 =
A(𝑘 − 𝑚𝜔 0 )0 + (𝑐𝜔)0
(Eqn. 6)

(End of Question 3)

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 ME2050
Question 4.
A mass of 250 grams rests on a frictionless table. The mass is connected to a spring with
spring constant k = 27 N/m, which is itself anchored to a vertical wall. The mass is pulled by
15 cm from an equilibrium position (x = 0) and is then released

(a) What is the total energy in the system?

[3 marks]

(b) What is the speed when x = 10 cm?

[3 marks]

(c) Suppose the table was not frictionless, what coefficient of friction μk will ensure that
the mass comes to rest (for the first time) precisely upon reaching x = 0?
[4 marks]

(d) Now the same mass is vertically hung from the same spring, where the spring is
anchored to the ceiling. Assuming the mass at equilibrium rests at 10 cm above the
ground (earth surface), what is the total energy in the system for this configuration?
[4 marks]

(e) For the system in part (d), gravitational force exerts a pull on the mass towards the
ground. This force is considered a conservative force, meeting the criteria in (Eqn. 7).
Comment on what a conservative force is. Derive and prove, using this information or
otherwise, that gravitational force is indeed a conservative force.
[4 marks]

𝑑 𝑈(𝑥)
𝐹(𝑥) = −
𝑑𝑥
(Eqn. 7)

(f) Give examples of another conservative force and a non-conservative force.

[2 marks]

(End of Question 4)

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 ME2050
Question 5:
Car A rounds a curve of 150 m radius at a constant speed of 54 km/h. At the instant
represented, car B is moving at 81 km/h but is slowing down at 3 m/s2.

Figure 2: Car A rounding a curve of radius 150 m and car B driving straight.

(a) Determine the velocity of car A as observed from car B. Write your answer in vector
notation as well as absolute magnitude.
[4 marks]

(b) Determine the acceleration of car A as observed from car B. Write your answer in
vector notation as well as absolute magnitude.
[4 marks]

(c) From the instant shown, it took 2 seconds for car B to reach the position car A
currently occupies. How far has car B travelled during this time?
[3 marks]

(d) From the position car A was at the instant shown in the diagram, how much angular
displacement (in radians) has A covered during this same time?
[3 marks]

(Question 5 continues to the next page)

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 ME2050
(e) Car A needs to clear an arc length of 7 m in order to avoid a collision with car B.
Given the answers calculated in parts (c) and (d), will a collision occur?
[2 marks]

(f) If car B was to hit car A, comment on if mechanical energy is conserved? Explain
why or why not.
[2 marks]

(g) If car B was to hit car A, comment on if momentum is conserved? Explain why or
why not.
[2 marks]

(End of Question 5)

End of Mock Exam 2

Appendix: ME2050 Formula Sheet, attached

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This examination is subject to the Examination Regulations for Candidates