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1.8: Plausibility Checks of System Response Equations and Calculations

  • Page ID
    21146
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    We all make mistakes in the process of analyzing engineering problems. Most common are mistakes in arithmetic, algebra, calculus, theory, and calculation algorithms (usually computer programming). Also, sometimes we simply use incorrect data. It seems that there are countless ways to make mistakes. Therefore, it is important always to check your mathematical, numerical, and computational operations and results in every way possible. An important type of check for any problem with physical results is the plausibility check, known more colloquially as reality check and sanity test. Essentially you examine the results to determine if they are physically plausible (believable, credible, reasonable). Do the results make sense physically? A classic example of implausible result that often appears on exam papers in structures courses is the structural deformation on the order of 103 or 106 inches, when it ought to be on the order of 10-3 inches.

    To illustrate a plausibility check, let us examine Figure 1.6.1 for the velocity response of the mass-damper system to an initial condition and half-sine pulse excitation. First, the specified initial velocity is \(v_0\) = 3.3 m/s, and the response curve at time \(t\) = 0 correctly reflects that initial condition. Next, for about the first half-second of response, the velocity decreases due to viscous drag force \(cv\). But then, as the applied force \(f_x(t)\) increases, the velocity dips to a local minimum and subsequently increases. Applied force \(f_x(t)\) peaks at \(t\) = \(\frac{1}{2} t_d\) = 3.75 s, and the graph shows that the slope of the velocity curve, acceleration \(\dot{v}\), is maximum at about the same time. The velocity itself peaks at a bit past 5 s. Because velocity is the integral of acceleration (area under the acceleration curve), this lag of the velocity peak behind the force pulse peak is quite plausible. After the velocity peaks, it decreases monotonically toward zero as the applied force decreases to zero at \(t\) = \(t_d\) = 7.50 s and remains at zero thereafter. So the entire response, as depicted graphically, is physically plausible.

    Plausibility of a calculated response does not guarantee that it is correct, although it is reassuring. On the other hand, implausibility of a calculated response almost certainly guarantees that it is wrong. The primary justification for conducting a plausibility check is to catch incorrect engineering predictions before they cause trouble (which can vary from point loss on homework or exams, to a major disaster, the unpredicted failure of an engineering system).


    This page titled 1.8: Plausibility Checks of System Response Equations and Calculations is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by William L. Hallauer Jr. (Virginia Tech Libraries' Open Education Initiative) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.