Modelling the vibrational behaviour of composite archery arrows

Abstract

In the sport of archery, recent developments in materials technology have seen the introduction of carbon-fibre aluminium composite arrows. Archery performance has been shown to be dependent on the vibrational behaviour of arrows (including the natural frequencies and mode shapes). This paper investigates the vibration of composite archery arrows through analytical and finite element modelling. Computer models used in this paper employ modal analysis to identify the significant modes of vibration. Results from the numerical simulations are also compared to experimental measurements using a Polytec scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (PSV-400). Experiments use both mechanically and acoustically coupled vibration actuators to vibrate the composite arrow structure. Evaluation of the modal behaviour shows good agreement between the theoretical models and the experiments.