Mechanical Vibrations

"Mechanical Vibration" is a great value for those interested in obtaining a "feel" for vibration phenomenon and theory. The book is pedagogically oriented and well-written, with the reader always in mind. It contains good basic coverage for both one and two degree-of-freedom systems. Some basic calculus and understanding of complex numbers is assumed. In addition, there is a lot of practical material on internal combustion engines, the balancing of rotating machinery, self-excited vibrations, and vibration tuning and management. Although the book is quite old, it remains a very nice introduction to the field. I only wish I had known about it when taking vibration class in college. It would have been a good supplement to the required text.

Den Hartog covers an area that is difficult to understand with a minimum of calculus. A simpler explanation would be iaccurate.

I've seen several books on mechanical vibrations over the years, and this is the best by far - and the cheapest. Hartog covers the spectrum of mechanical vibrations as they are used in engineering with great in-depth explanations, detailed illustrations that help you visualize what is being discussed, and solved problems throughout the book. He just doesn't jump into what can sometimes be involved mathematics either. He always takes the time to show the details of any mathematics used in solving problems, although I recommend you understand calculus before starting out.

This book really emphasizes the understanding of basic physical principles in solving vibration problems. Although first published in the early 30s, most of the contents are still up to date. The chapter on self-excited vibrations is great.

I feel the title "Physics of mechanical vibrations" would be more suitable for this book. The author justifies (by physical explaination) each and every mathematical result in the book. THe end of the book excercises are applicaiton oriented and author makes us to think and apply the techniques learned from the book to a real world problem. One can suppliment this book with Timoshenko's "Vibration problems in engineering". Both books are nice and explain the theory with practical applications.