Dominant parameters of weakly coupled systems

Abstract

A modal analysis framework was developed to identify the dominant characteristics of weakly coupled systems using perturbation analysis and mode synthesis techniques. Modal parameters were obtained to quantify four types of characteristics—tuning, coupling, nonclassical damping, and spatial interaction. These parameters were subsequently used to determine the response of the system to broadband excitation. It was found that the parameters could be used to isolate certain modes of the system with dominant effects on the response. The response characteristics were also examined in the high‐frequency range by extending asymptotic modal analysis [E. H. Dowell and Y. Kubota, J. Appl. Mech. 52, 949–957 (1985)] to include the asymptotic properties of the coupled system parameters. The results were used to illustrate applications in design of isolation mounts in the low‐frequency range, and in providing insight into statistical energy analysis in the high‐frequency range. The work is an extension of the dynamic a...