A Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of Tennis Racket by Modal Analysis

Abstract

A study of spectral analysis as a field of applied engineering has been recently advanced for the identification of structural dynamic characteristics, and many analysis methods to detect vibration sources are under study. In this paper, an experimental modal analysis of tennis racket was carried out at the University of Han Yang in order to obtain the modal parameter. Air type and epoxy type rackets were compared with each other to investigate the damping effect due to the existence and/or nonexistence of damping material, by examining its maximum bending moment and logarithmic decrement after impact between racket and ball. In order to clarify the dynamic behaviour of tennis racket, mode shapes corresponding to each natural frequency were obtained, and its sweet spot was determined by considering the node line at each natural frequency. The final modification was applied in a new prototype and its dynamic behaviour was checked by experimental modal analysis.