Reactances and susceptances of mechanical systems

The classical solution to the problems associated with calculating the velocities and reactions of elements of complex mechanical systems under harmonic force consists in the compilation and integration of systems of differential equations and is rather cumbersome and time-consuming. In most cases, a steady state is of major interest. The purpose of this study is to develop essentially compact methods for calculating systems under steady-state conditions. The problem is solved by the methods which are typically used to calculate electrical circuits. Representation of harmonic quantities as rotating vectors in a complex plane and the operations with their complex amplitudes can greatly facilitate the calculation of arbitrarily complex mechanical systems under harmonic effects in the steady state. In the proposed method, a key role is played by mechanical reactance, resistance, and impedance for the parallel connection of consumers of mechanical power, as well as susceptance, conductance, and admittance for the serial one. At force resonance, the total reactance of the mechanical system is zero. This means that the system does not exhibit reactive resistance to the external harmonic force. At velocity resonance, the total susceptibility of the mechanical system is zero. This means that the system has infinitely high resistance to the external harmonic force. As a result, the stock of the source of harmonic force is stationary, although the inert body and the elastic element oscillate.