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Detection and correction of synchronization-induced errors in operational modal analysis

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Abstract

Operational modal analysis (OMA) methods are frequently applied for obtaining information on structural dynamic parameters, such as natural frequencies and mode shapes. While synchronization between acceleration response data sets used in OMA is not a prerequisite for estimating natural frequencies, synchronization discrepancies may lead to non-negligible errors in the estimation of mode shapes. Synchronization discrepancies are predominantly associated with wireless structural health monitoring systems, where each wireless sensor node functions as a separate data acquisition unit (DAQ), and clock synchronization is therefore not intrinsic. However, synchronization discrepancies may also occur in cable-based systems, particularly when more than one DAQ is used. In this paper, a synchronization method for detecting and correcting synchronization-induced errors in OMA is proposed. Unlike existing approaches on removing synchronization-induced errors at the output stage, the method proposed herein yields synchronized structural response data at an intermediate stage of OMA. Specifically, time lags between acceleration response data sets are detected based on estimates of the mode shapes obtained either from preliminary structural analysis or from engineering judgment assuming classical damping. The applicability of the proposed method is verified through simulations of a multi-degree-of-freedom oscillator and validated through ambient vibration field tests on a pedestrian overpass bridge.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support offered by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under Grant SM 281/14-1 for the initiation of the German–Greek collaboration. We would also like to acknowledge the support offered by DFG through the research training group GRK 1462 entitled “Evaluation of Coupled Numerical and Experimental Partial Models in Structural Engineering.” The valuable assistance provided by Dr. Panayiotis Panetsos, project manager at Egnatia Odos S.A., in making the pedestrian overpass bridge available for ambient vibration measurements is also acknowledged. Finally, the authors also wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society (TMWWDG) and the Open Access Publication Funds of Bauhaus University Weimar. Major parts of this work were conducted in the “Structural Health Monitoring Laboratory,” sponsored by the European Union through the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) and TMWWDG under Grant 2016 FGI 0009. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Computing in Civil Engineering, Bauhaus University Weimar, Coudraystraße 7, 99423, Weimar, Germany

    K. Dragos & K. Smarsly

  2. Laboratory for Experimental Mechanics, Department of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University, 54124, Thessaloníki, Greece

    T. Makarios, I. Karetsou & G. D. Manolis

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  1. K. Dragos
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Correspondence to G. D. Manolis.

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Dragos, K., Makarios, T., Karetsou, I. et al. Detection and correction of synchronization-induced errors in operational modal analysis. Arch Appl Mech 90, 1547–1567 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-020-01683-6

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