To explain Modal Analysis in terms of the modes of vibration of a simple plate. Consider a simple, freely hung flat plate.

A constant force will be applied to one corner of the plate but the frequency of the excitation will change in a sinusoidal fashion. As the frequency of the constant force changes, let's measure the response at a corner on the plate using an accelerometer.

If it is measured the time response of the accelerometer, it is notice that the level of amplitude of response changes as change the frequency of oscillation. That seems odd since the level of excitation is constant - but this is exactly what happens. A typical time response is shown below.

Now this time response is very informative, but if I were to view this same data in the frequency domain, some other very interesting items can be noted. In order to view this data in the frequency domain, the Fast Fourier Transform will be used to convert the time data. A typical frequency response function (FRF) plot is shown below. The peaks in this plot correspond to the frequency of oscillation where the amplitude of response is greatest.

This can be easily seen if I overlay the time trace and the frequency trace together as shown below. As the amplitude of response in the time trace increases, the amplitude of the FRF also increases. These points of increased amplitude occur at

the natural frequency of the system. The natural frequency of my structure depends on the mass and stiffness distributions in my structure. Looking at just one of these time traces provides useful information.

Now let's see what happens to the deformation pattern on the structure at each one of these natural frequencies. Let's place 45 evenly distributed accelerometers on the plate and measure the amplitude of the response of the plate when the excitation coincides with each of the four resonant frequencies at each of the peaks in the FRF. The figure below shows the deformation patterns that will result when the excitation coincides with one of the natural frequencies of the system.

The response of the structure is different at each of the different natural frequencies. These deformation patterns are called mode .

When the hand feel procedure is performed on a component or a structure and it reveals a possible resonant condition this suspicion should be confirmed by plotting the mode shape. Simple procedure can be can be performed with the most rudimentary of instruments and is very effective in identifying the mode shapes. Were the possible both vertical and horizontal directions should be plotted To plot a mode shape, perform the steps below: 1. Divide the component to be tested into 10 roughly equal parts and identify each measurement point, usually with letter to avoid confusion. 2. For each point, measure the vibration amplitude at the frequency of interest. Document the amplitude in the boxes provided on the Mode Shape Plot Form. 3. divide each reading by 2 and record in the space provided. 4. If a Modal shape is not available , obtain a sheet of graph paper and draw a horizontal line in the middle of the page. On the line, mark the measurement locations spaced approximately 1 or 25mm apart 5. Plot the results and below the zero line on the mode shape form using a vertical scale = 1 mil of vibration, 1cm =25micros or = 0.1ips 6. Join the dots and curve fit if required.

The simplest way of determining the mode shape for a structure is to use a technique called Quadrature Picking. Quadrature Picking is based on the assumption that the coupling between the modes is light. In practice, mechanical structures are often very lightly damped (<1%). This implies that the modes are lightly coupled. At any frequency, the magnitude of the frequency response function is the sum of the contributions (at the particular frequency) from all modes. When there is little modal coupling between the modes, the structural response at a modal frequency is completely controlled by that mode, and so Quadrature Picking can be used to unravel the mode shapes.

For Single-Degree-of-Freedom systems, the frequency response function at resonances is purely imaginary. As a result, the value of the imaginary part of the frequency response function at resonance, for structures with lightly coupled modes, is proportional to the modal displacement. Consequently, by examining the magnitude of the imaginary part of the frequency response function at a number of points on the structure, the relative modal displacement at each point can be found. From these displacements, the mode shapes can be established. The procedure can then be repeated to determine all the required mode shapes. By making an excitation and response measurement at the same point and in the same

direction,

the

mode

shape

can

be

scaled

in

absolute

units.

(fig .The first three modes of vibration for the test structure. The modal displacements are found from the imaginary part of the frequency response function).

References
1. Svend Gade, Henrik Herlufsen and Hans Konstantin-Hansen, Brel&Kjr, Denmark by how to determine the modal parameters of simple structures 2. General mode shape plot procedure, Universal Technologies. Inc