Structural finite element model updating using incomplete ambient vibration modal data

Abstract

This paper presents an effective approach for updating finite element dynamic model from incomplete modal data identified from ambient vibration measurements. The proposed method is based on the relationship between the perturbation of structural parameters such as stiffness and mass changes and the modal data measurements of the tested structure such as measured mode shape readings. Structural updating parameters including both stiffness and mass parameters are employed to represent the differences in structural parameters between the finite element model and the associated tested structure. These updating parameters are then evaluated by an iterative solution procedure, giving optimised solutions in the least squares sense without requiring an optimisation technique. In order to reduce the influence of modal measurement uncertainty, the truncated singular value decomposition regularization method incorporating the quasi-optimality criterion is employed to produce reliable solutions for the structural updating parameters. Finally, the numerical investigations of a space frame structure and the practical applications to the Canton Tower benchmark problem demonstrate that the proposed method can correctly update the given finite element model using the incomplete modal data identified from the recorded ambient vibration measurements.