LAB 1

Experimental evaluation and modal analysis

of a multiple-degree-of freedom system

Authors: Submitted (date): 2019-09-05

Approved by (name/date):

Grade:

AF2011, Structural Dynamics for Civil Engineers, 2019

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Table of Contents
1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................4

2 Method.........................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Evaluation of measurements..............................................................................................5
2.2 Model analysis...................................................................................................................5
2.3 Stiffness of a fixed-fixed elastic column with normal force...............................................5

3 Results..........................................................................................................................................6

4 Discussion.....................................................................................................................................7

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1 Introduction
In this assignment, a four-story frame model is studied for its natural frequencies and free vibration
modes. Visual observation, measurement evaluation and analysis calculations are performed in order
to obtain the results and further discuss.
There are two methods to excite the model. For task 1, the model is excited by a vibrator and can be
observed and recorded directly during the lab. For task 2, the model has been excited by a hammer and
the response spectrum figures for each floor are given. Two cases are considered during the model
analysis: the effect of normal forces is included(Task 4) or not(task 3).
Sketch of the frame model is presented in the figure below (Fig.1). And the properties of the frame
model are summarized in Table.1.

Wooden slab

Steel columns

Figure 1.1. Four-story frame model

Table 1. Required properties of the frame structure

Thick of wooden slabs h0  18mm

Free length between slabs d  240mm
Total weight m  6,95kg

Cross section of each steel column b  h  1, 0 10mm 2

Second moment of inertia for steel column I  83,33mm 4

Elastic modulus of steel E  200GPa

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2 Method
Following assumptions have been made:
 The system is assumed to be un-damped.
 Material is considered linearly elastic.

2.1 Evaluation of measurements

For the lab experiment, visual observation is performed to record the model’s behaviour after excited
by a vibrator. The frequencies and mode shapes are noted for each free vibration mode.
In another case, the model is excited by a hammer. The frequencies and amplitudes can be drawn from
the frequency spectra figures.
The natural frequencies are collected from the abscissa of the response spectrum figures corresponding
to each peak value:

 f1 
f 
f   2
 f3 
 
 f4 
The amplitudes are collected from the ordinate of the response spectrum figures corresponding to each
peak value:

 rms11 rms21 rms31 rms41 

 rms rms22 rms32 rms42 
RMS   12
 rms13 rms23 rms33 rms43 
 
 rms14 rms24 rms34 rms44 

rmsij
Where refers to the amplitude of j node during mode i (i=1,2,3,4).
And the RMS matrix is normalized in order to simplify calculations.
The phase-angles can also be obtained from the result tables directly:

11 21 31 41 

 22 32 42 
   12
13 23 33 43 
 
14 24 34 44 
rmsij
Where refers to the phase angle of j node during mode i (i=1,2,3,4).
In order to get the connection of phase-angle between different vibration modes, all columns are
related to the first mode:

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 11  11 21  11 31  11 41  11 
            
 '   12 12 22 12 32 12 42 12 
13  13 23  13 33  13 43  13 
 
14  14 24  14 34  14 44  14 
The direction of all the degrees of freedoms for each mode can be determined by following formula:
SIGN  cos( ) / cos( )
Thus the modal modes can be derived:
MODE  RMS  SIGN

2.2 Model analysis

For the un-damped free vibration, the eigenfrequencies  and eigenmodes  can be derived from
the equations below:
( K   2 M )u  0
Where K is the stiffness matrix of the system, and M is the mass matrix.
The eigenmodes  contains the eigenvectors for each mode:

11 21 31 41 

 22 32 42 
   12      2   3   4  
13 23 33 43   1
 
14 24 34 44 
It should be noticed that here the eigenmodes matrix should be normalized due to simplification.

2.3 Stiffness of a fixed-fixed elastic column

1 1
k1’ k1=2k1’
2 2
K2’ K2=2k2
3 3’
k3’ K3=2k3
4 4 ’
k4’ K4=2k4
’

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 12 EI
k'
For a fixed-fixed elastic column, if normal forces are not considered, L3
While in the actual case, the normal forces cannot be neglected. A modified spring-stiffness is used to
indicate the effect of normal forces N:

EI u 3 sin u
k ( )
L3 2  2 cos u  u sin u
NL2
u
EI
For task 5, the Nested loops are used to find out the different “static” length of each layer’s column to
give the best correspondence to the measured frequencies.

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3 Results
3.1 Task 1
Tabel 3.1 Frequencies for each vibration mode

f1 f2 f3 f4
Natural
1,10 3,30 4,95 5,90
frequencies (Hz)

Sketch

3.2 Task 2
Tabel 3.2 Natural frequencies from the rms-plots

f1 f2 f3 f4
Natural
0,95 2,92 4,68 5,82
frequencies (Hz)

The amplitudes of modes obtained from rms-plots:

 rms11 rms21 rms31 rms41  0, 024 0, 086 0, 055 0, 017 

 rms rms22 rms32 rms42   0, 021 0, 019 0, 055 0, 036 
RMS   12 
 rms13 rms23 rms33 rms43  0, 016 0, 079 0, 058 0, 030 
   
 rms14 rms24 rms34 rms44  0, 010 0,100 0, 083 0, 014 
After normalization:
 1, 000 0,860 0, 663 0, 472 
 0,875 0,190 0, 663 1, 000 
RMS  
 0, 667 0, 790 0, 699 0,833 
 
0, 417 1, 000 1, 000 0,389 
The direction of all the degrees of freedoms for each mode:
1 1 1 1 
1 1 1 1
SIGN   
1 1 1 1 
 
1 1 1 1
The modal matrix:

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  1, 000 0,860 0, 663 0, 472 
 0,875 0,190 0, 663 1, 000 
MODE2   
 0, 667 0, 790 0, 699 0,833 
 
 0, 417 1, 000 1, 000 0,389 

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Figure 3.1 Eigenvectors for each free vibration mode for task 2

3.3 Task 3
Tabel 3.3 Calculated natural frequencies

f1 f2 f3 f4
Natural
1,236 3,557 5,450 6,686
frequencies (Hz)

The modal matrix:

 1, 000 1, 000 0, 653 0,347 
 0,879 0 0,879 0,879 
MODE3  
 0, 653 1, 000 0,347 1, 000 
 
 0,347 1, 000 1, 000 0, 653 

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 3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Figure 3.2 Eigenvectors for each free vibration mode for task 3

3.4 Task 4
Tabel 3.4 Calculated natural frequencies

f1 f2 f3 f4
Natural
1,0178 3,091 4,753 5,956
frequencies (Hz)

The modal matrix:

 1, 000 0,848 0, 658 0, 474 
 0,909 0,138 0, 645 1, 000 
MODE4   
 0, 715 0, 788 0, 674 0,835 
 
 0, 410 1, 000 1, 000 0,394 

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 4

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Figure 3.3 Eigenvectors for each free vibration mode for task 3

3.5 Task 5
Redo Task 4 with varying lengths of the columns, find the most closed frequency with Task 2.
The length of these four layers columns should be:
L1 L2 L3 L4
Length of each
0.2400 0.2464 0.2402 0.2530
layer column (m)

The natural frequency with the model changed the length of “static” length
f1 f2 f3 f4
Natural
0.9502 2.9180 4.6790 5.8225
frequencies (Hz)

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4 Discussion

Natural f1 f2 f3 f4
frequencies (Hz)
Task 1 1,10 3,30 4,95 5,90
Task 2 0,95 2,92 4,68 5,82
Task 3 1,236 3,557 5,450 6,686
Task 4 1,0178 3,091 4,753 5,956

In all these 5 tasks, the eigenvectors give the similar shape of the mode shape, it shows that as a
specific structure it can get the similar mode shape by experiment and also the theoretical analysis.
There is a little bit difference between the Task 2 and Task 3, which is because the second order effect
is not considered, this simplification makes it a little bit different from reality. When added the second
order effect, the eigenvectors are looks much more similar with the Task 2 result. These can be seen in
Figure 4.1, in this figure, the red line refers to Task 2, the green line refers to Task 3, and the blue line
refers to Task 4.

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Figure 4.2 Eigenvectors for each free vibration mode for task 3,4,5

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