Identification of modal parameters of unmeasured modes using multiple FRF modal analysis method

Current modal analysis methods seek to identify the modal parameters of some or all of the modes in the measured frequency range of interest. In many applications however, it will be very useful if modal parameters of some of the out-of-range modes can be identified during modal analysis. Such a goal is obviously theoretically possible since the raw measured frequency response functions (FRFs), upon which modal analysis is performed, do contain adequate information about the out-of-range modes in the form of residue contributions. In this paper, a new method for the estimation of modal parameters using multiple FRFs analysis is presented. In the process of modal identification, the proposed method not only presents accurate modal parameters of the modes which are present in the measurement frequency range, but also quite accurately identifies some of the modes which are not measured. The method calculates the required modal parameters by solving eigenvalue problem of an equivalent eigensystem derived from those measured FRF data. All measured FRFs are used simultaneously to construct the equivalent eigensystem matrices from which natural frequencies, damping loss factors and modeshape vectors of interest are solved. Since the identification problem is reduced to an eigenvalue problem of an equivalent system, natural frequencies and damping loss factors identified are consistent. Applications of the method to both numerically simulated and practically measured FRF data are given to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed method and the results have shown the method is capable of accurately identifying modal parameters of out-of-range modes.