Implementation of a program for free vibration analysis axes, through finite element, for the system Vibrafin

Abstract

This article presents the Finite Elements software VIBRAFIN, developed at EAFIT University as part of a project with the same name, for the computation of free vibrations in rotative machines. The software consists of three independent modules for the calculation of axial, transversal and torsional vibrations. This article discusses the determination of the mass and stiffness matrices, as well as the solution to the corresponding eigenvalue problem. Also, a discussion is presented about the Graphic User Interface of the program. Comparisons of the software predictions with experimental data are presented. The software allows the calculation of the critical speeds in a shaft, important for preventing resonance and correcting machine designs to avoid vibrations problems without incurring in expensive testing.