Learn · 101
Track 03 · Advanced Vibration & CM

Modal & Resonance 101

Every structure has a note. Play it, and it shakes itself apart.

15 lessons Self-paced 25-question exam Badge: Advanced Vibration & CM
Releasing 16 Aug 2026 Back to catalog

Releasing 16 Aug 2026 — the lesson opens on release day.

What you'll leave knowing

Outcomes for this primer.

Short, interactive and self-paced. Every idea is shown with a live instrument, then checked in the exam.

Build intuition for natural frequency, damping and mode shapes.

Understand the danger of resonance and critical speed.

Run a bump test and read the FRF honestly.

Tell a resonance from a forcing peak — and four ways to cure it.

The curriculum

15 lessons, in order.

Each lesson is one focused screen — a concept, an interactive graphic, and a plain-language read. Climb the chain, then sit the exam.

01
Re-anchor · the plucked ruler and the bouncing spring
Vibration is a to-and-fro: pull something springy, let go, it oscillates.
02
The core idea · build it yourself
Natural frequency: stiffer springs ring higher, heavier masses ring lower.
03
Proof it belongs to the object
Strike a structure and it rings at fₙ, then quietly dies away.
04
The other half of the story
Forcing: a running machine gives a steady, repeating push.
05
The dangerous coincidence
Resonance: push at the natural frequency and the shake explodes.
06
What tames the peak
Damping: the friction that bleeds energy and blunts the resonance.
07
Not one note — a set of them
Mode shapes: a structure has several natural frequencies, each with its own bend.
08
The field test that finds the notes
The bump test: hit it, and watch it ring at every natural frequency.
09
Reading it honestly
The FRF: divide the shake you got by the push you gave.
10
When the machine drives through it
Critical speed: the run-up speed where the machine sits on its own note.
11
The give-away test
Confirm it: change the speed — a resonance stays put, a forcing peak moves.
12
A real save
Case file: a pump that danced — until we moved its baseplate’s note.
13
How to kill it
Four cures: move the note, move the push, or soak up the energy.
14
The kit that proves it
Orders move, resonances stay — and the tool that captures both.
15
Recap
Everything, in one place.
Finish all 15 lessons and pass the 25-question exam to earn your completion certificate — issued on the spot.
Where it fits

Part of the Advanced Vibration & CM badge.

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Advanced Vibration & CM

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A primer — not ISO 18436 certification

TIERA 101 gives you working fundamentals. It is not equivalent to, nor a substitute for, ISO 18436 Category I–IV vibration-analyst certification.

TIERA's formal ISO 18436 Category I–IV programme is separate and paid. Ask us about the certified track when you're ready to go pro.