An improved lower order method of modal parameter estimation for offshore structures using reconstructed signals

Abstract

For modal parameter estimation of offshore structures, one has to deal with two challenges: 1) identify the interested frequencies, and 2) reduce the number of false modes. In this article, we propose an improved method of modal parameter estimation by reconstructing a new signal only with interested frequencies. The approach consists of three steps: 1) isolation and reconstruction of interested frequencies using FFT filtering, 2) smoothness of reconstructed signals, and 3) extraction of interested modal parameters in time domain. The theoretical improvement is that the frequency response function (FRF) of filtered signals is smoothed based on singular value decomposition technique. The elimination of false modes is realized by reconstructing a block data matrix of the eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA) using the filtered and smoothed signals. The advantage is that the efficiency of the identification process of modal parameters will be improved greatly without introducing any false modes. A five-DOF mass-spring system is chosen to illustrate the procedure and demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme. Numerical results indicate that interested frequencies can be isolated successfully using FFT filtering, and unexpected peaks in auto spectral density can be removed effectively. In addition, interested modal parameters, such as frequencies and damping ratios, can be identified properly by reconstructing the Hankel matrix with a small dimension of ERA, even the original signal has measurement noises.