MODAL SPACE - IN OUR OWN LITTLE WORLD by Pete Avitabile

How do you select the What needs to

be considered ? Let's discuss this to see
reference location for
a modal test ? how to think about this

Illustration by Mike Avitabile

How do you select the reference location for a modal test? What needs to be considered?
Let's discuss this to see how to think about this.

Now the selection of the reference location is one of the more

important steps of performing an experimental modal test. If a 11k   u1k 
the reference(s) are selected poorly, then there is a strong a  u 
 21k   2k 
possibility that one or more modes of the system may be   = q u
k 1k  
represented poorly or, in the worst case, not at all. Many times a
 31k   u 3k 
the references are selected with a priori knowledge if similar  M   M 
structures have been tested many times in the past. In these
cases, the selection is much easier. But when the structure is Obviously, the value of the mode shape at the reference location
unique and has no previous history, then the selection of the must be significant for all the modes to be measured. If this is
reference can be much more complicated. Obviously, done then the FRFs measured will have strong response of the
experience is a very strong plus in these situations. And it may modes of the system. But if the value of the mode shape at the
be that there is an analytical model that may assist in this reference location is not significant for one or more modes of
selection of the reference. So let’s discuss some basics and the system, then the FRFs may not contain strong response for
describe some things to consider when selecting the reference all the modes of the system. This will make the modal
location(s). parameter estimation process more difficult.

The first thing to really show is the basic equation that So if an analytical model is available, then the mode shapes can
dominates the selection of the reference. As I always say to all be reviewed to select optimal reference locations. One simple
my students, “Remember … the most important answer to tool that is often used is the drive point residue. Basically, this
almost all of your modal questions is very simply ui uj”. Of is an assessment of the mode shape represented as a residue
course the students all make fun of me for saying this over and
over but then they realize that most of their modal questions are aiik = q k uik u ik
often answered with this very statement! So what do I mean by
this. Recall that the residue matrix is given by
This is a common tool used in preliminary assessment usually
called a Pre-Test Analysis. Of course there are other tools such
 a 11k a 12 k a 13k L  u1k u1k u1k u 2 k u1k u 3k L
a as Mode Shape Summation, MODMAC, Effective
 21k a 22 k a 23k L u u u2k u2k u 2 k u 3k L Independence, along with others that are beyond what can be
=qk 
2 k 1k
a 31k a 32 k a 33k L  u 3k u1k u 3k u 2 k u 3k u 3k L discussed here. But what if a finite element model is not
    available or (let me say this quietly) what if the model is not
 M M M O  M M M O
correct. So we need to be able to select the references without
But we do not collect data for all of these input output any previous knowledge or assistance from an analytical model.
combinations (and theory tells us that we do not need to
measure all of them either). So there needs to be a very careful So often times, an experimental test is setup and the first thing
selection of which rows or columns are measured. If we look at that is done is to make sample measurements to determine how
one column then we can write many modes might exist in the structure. At times, the drive
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How do you select the reference location for a modal test? What needs to be considered? Copyright 2007
SEM Experimental Techniques – April 2007 Page 1 Pete Avitabile
point FRFs are reviewed – possibly the imaginary part of the measurements made. Unfortunately all the measurements are
FRF is viewed. Unfortunately, this is probably not one of the made in a somewhat random fashion. There is also a very
better measurements to view. This is because closely spaced strong possibility that critical modes may be missed with this
modes may be difficult to identify since all of the peaks of the procedure. (I have seen even the best of test engineers
imaginary part of the FRF will have the same positive or occasionally miss major modes of a structure)
negative going peaks in the function. Actually the non-drive
point measurements are better because the values of the Another possibility to identify potential references is to obtain a
amplitude can be both positive and negative enabling a better small set of FRFs at all of the potenetial candidate reference
chance to identify closely spaced modes. For example, two locations. This set of FRFs is shown schematically in Figure 3.
measurements are shown in Figure 1. The upper trace is a drive An SVD is then performed on this matrix. By evaluating the
point FRF and it is impossible to identify that there are two SVD of submatrices of this original matrix (ie, removing
modes at the first peak. The lower trace is a cross measurement individual references in a controlled fashion), an evaluation of
and it is more obvious that there are two modes at that the number of significant modes can be determined. If the same
frequency. So you can see that a drive point measurement is number of significant modes are obtained, then the reference
useful but may also be deceiving in that the strength of each removed was not a critical reference for the identification of the
mode is not apparent in the measurement. modes of the system. However, if fewer significant modes are
identified then the reference removed was an important
reference for those modes no longer observed and should be
retained as a reference for the modal test.

Figure 1 – Drive Point Vs Cross FRF with Close Modes

As a modal test is set up, often, a random sampling of FRFs is Figure 3 – Systematic Selection of FRF Submatrices for SVD
made with an educated guess as to what might be reasonable
references. This random selection is shown in Figure 2 with the So while it is common practice to take a handful of randomly
selected measurements shown in different colors. selected FRFs to identify a potential reference location, a
possible alternate approach that utilizes a mathematical
approach to perform an SVD with a set of FRFs may be a much
more rigorous mechanism for identifying potential references.
This approach, commonly called the Test Reference
Identification Procedure (TRIP), offers a technique for
reference determination. This is especially useful when no
analytical model is available or when there is skepticism as to
the accuracy of the finite element model used for the Pre-Test
analysis.

The real trick here is to pick a reasonable ui uj term such that

the value of the mode shape at the reference location is a
significant value. This will then cause the FRFs to have
significant peaks that allow for adequate measurements to be
Figure 2 – Random Selection of FRFs for Test Setup made. Of course, you have to have an idea of what the mode
shapes of the system are in order to achieve this. A finite
The FRFs are reviewed and identification of peaks in the FRFs element model or apriori knowledge is very beneficial to
are noted from one measurement to the next. If all the peaks are accomplish this.
the same and no additional peaks are obtained, then the
references might be reasonably selected from those If you have any more questions on modal analysis, just ask me
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How do you select the reference location for a modal test? What needs to be considered? Copyright 2007
SEM Experimental Techniques – April 2007 Page 2 Pete Avitabile