Determination of extensional wave velocity in thin metal rods

Since the end of the 19th century, and later driven by aerospace development, the modeling of vibrations in metallic structures has demanded significant effort on the part of researchers. Add to this the importance of predicting earthquakes and minimizing the damage they generate, and there is one more significant purpose for the study of waves in structures. In the Classical Physics course, waves are approached from the perspective of the harmonic oscillator, waves in strings and sound tubes, analyzing longitudinal and transverse waves. However, surface waves and extensional waves are rarely mentioned, so the present work intends to contribute to the paving of this small gap, proposing a practical activity to calculate the modulus of the speed of extensional waves in steel and aluminum rods, using the frequencies of the harmonics of extensional standing waves. The theoretical development is fully understandable to the student who has basic knowledge of Physics and Differential and Integral Calculus. The experimental apparatus is low cost and fully available. The resonant frequencies are determined with a cell phone where the free Spectroid application has been installed. For extensional speeds, were obtained v_ext−Al = (5.05±0.02).10³m/s and v_ext−steel = (5.21±0.08).10³m/s, implying that the respective relative deviations from the literature were 1% and 0.6%, very good for a teaching laboratory. The activity also favors the deepening of the concepts related to oscillations and brings strong playful elements, such as the use of the cell phone and the pleasant timbre of the resonant rods, so that its application is fully feasible and recommendable.

Keywords
Physics teaching; natural frequency; resonance; extensional speed; rods; smartphone