Theoretical and Experimental Modal Analysis of Beam

Abstract

Vibration analysis of the beam components is extremely helpful in engineering analysis and design. Experimental modal analysis is the process to determine the modal parameters in the form of natural frequency, mode shape, and damping. This paper presents a theoretical, experimental, and numerical modal analysis of beam in free-free and simply supported boundary condition. The experimental modal analysis (EMA) of the beam excited using impact hammer is performed with the help of a Laser Vibrometer. With the help of MATLAB program, the signal from time domain to frequency domain is converted into the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The finite element modeling (FEM) software, ANSYS workbench 14.5, performed the numerical modal analysis of beam. Thus, the obtained natural frequency and mode shapes of the free-free and simply supported beam are compared with results obtained through theoretical. The comparison of all three results, i.e., theoretical results, numerical results, and experimental results shows that the results are all well within the reasonable error margin. It will help the researchers and engineers for the better design and development of engineering components.