Mitigating Structural Resonance

Impact Testing & FEA-Based Structural Modification

The Problem

A glass bottle manufacturing facility transports raw materials through silos mounted on a steel support platform. Each silo is equipped with vibration exciters designed to promote material flow during operation.

Over time, two structural “I” beams supporting the platform developed excessive vibration levels. The vibration became severe enough to make the platform unsafe for personnel to stand or perform maintenance activities.

Initial investigations indicated structural resonance as the likely cause — a condition in which a structure’s natural frequency coincides with an external excitation frequency, resulting in dangerously amplified vibrations.