Vibrations, noise control and acoustics problems can often be simplified in order to come up with a first iteration of the design process.
In this project, an aluminum signal structure for the railroad industry needed to be designed so that natural frequencies would lie above a specified maximum value. FEA modal analysis is a cost-effective way to investigate natural frequencies of parts and assemblies. Shown below are figures showing the first 3 natural frequency modes, relating to lateral bending (mode 1), vertical bending (mode 2) as well as torsion (mode 3).
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