Mechanical Vibration 15

2
LECTURES MODULE
W132100028
Mechanical
Vibration
Lagrange’s Equations
Abstract Sub-CPMK
Describing of Lagrange’s Equations. Sub-CPMK 6.3

Able to understand the
Lagrange’s Equations.
Faculty Major Lecture Arranged by
15
Dedik Romahadi, ST., M.Sc
Engineering Mechanical Engineering
Introduction
Energy methods are more useful than the free-body diagram method for deriving
differential equations governing MDOF systems. Lagrange’s equations are derived using
energy methods. The equivalent systems method, discussed in this module, is actually
Lagrange’s equations written for a linear SDOF system. Lagrange’s equations can be
applied to linear and nonlinear MDOF systems to derive the governing differential
equations. When applied to linear systems, application of Lagrange’s equations leads to
symmetric mass and stiffness matrices.
However, the derivation of Lagrange’s equations requires calculus of variations, and a
formal derivation is beyond the scope of this book. The basis for the derivation of
Lagrange’s equations is the principle of work and energy. Instead of taking the dot product
of Newton’s law with a differential displacement vector, the dot product is taken with a
variation of the displacement vector. Whereas a differential, dx, is a change in the
dependent variable due to a change in the independent variable, (a variation written as δx
is due to a change in the dependent variable, as show in Figure 7.5).
The independent variable is time t and the dependent variable is y. Imagine following
a particle as it travels throughout space along a path y(t). The actual path that the particle
follows
between time t1 and time t2 is y(t). The varied path is y(t) + δy as shown in Figure 7.5(a).
The variation is an arbitrary function that the varied path could follow. The variation must
be the same as the actual path at t1 and t2. That is, δy(t1) = 0 and δy(t2) = 0. Figure
7.5(b) illustrates the difference between a variation and a differential by examining both
the function y(t) and the variation y(t) = δy during the time dt. The geometry of this
illustration shows that δ (dy) = d(δy).
The actual path that the particle follows is not known. It is the job of calculus of
variations to specify the actual path (or to derive an equation that specifies the actual
path) by considering all possible variations. This is the purpose of Lagrange’s equations.
Application of Lagrange’s equations specifies the equations for the actual path.
2021 Mechanical Vibration

2 Dedik Romahadi, ST., M.Sc
Biro Bahan Ajar E-learning dan MKCU
http://pbael.mercubuana.ac.id/
requirement that the variation of the position vector is zero at these times. The result is
Hamilton’s principle, which is stated as

EXAMPLE
Use Lagrange’s equations to derive the differential equations governing the motion of the
system of Example 7.1 using x1, x2, and x3 as generalized coordinates.
SOLUTION
The kinetic energy of the system at an arbitrary instant is
Application of Lagrange’s equations leads to

The differential equations derived from Lagrange’s equations are identical to those
obtained in Example 7.1 by the free-body diagram method.
EXAMPLE
Use Lagrange’s equations to derive the differential equations governing the motion of the
system of Figure 7.3(a) and Example 7.2.
SOLUTION
The kinetic energy of the system of Figure 7.3 is the sum of the kinetic energies of the
body of the vehicle and the seat. The kinetic energy of the system is
The potential energy is the sum of the potential energies in the three springs. The change
in lengths of the springs are measured from the system’s equilibrium position and are
determined in the solution of Example 7.2, resulting in
The Lagrangian is

EXAMPLE
Derive the nonlinear equations governing the motion of Example 7.3 and Figure 7.4.
SOLUTION
The velocity of the mass center of bar AB is given by

The potential energy of the system at an arbitrary instant, using the plane of the cart as
the datum, is
Application of Lagrange’s equations for x leads to

Application of Lagrange’s equations for θ2 yields

References
1. S. S. Rao, Mechanical Vibrations Sixth Edition in SI Units. Pearson, 2018.
2. A. R. Mohanty, Machinery condition monitoring: Principles and practices. CRC
Press, 2015.
3. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfqwi9TYj9V84uPoS9gJ2Imkw2qLDYv_F


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2

Describing of Lagrange’s Equations. Sub-CPMK 6.3

Faculty Major Lecture Arranged by

2021 Mechanical Vibration

2021 Mechanical Vibration

The kinetic energy of the system at an arbitrary instant is

Application of Lagrange’s equations leads to

2021 Mechanical Vibration

2021 Mechanical Vibration

The velocity of the mass center of bar AB is given by

2021 Mechanical Vibration

Application of Lagrange’s equations for x leads to

2021 Mechanical Vibration

2021 Mechanical Vibration

2021 Mechanical Vibration

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