Structural modal parameter identification and damage diagnosis based on Hilbert-Huang transform

Modal parameter identification is an important content for the research on dynamic behavior of civil engineering structures. For the conventional modal parameter identification techniques, excitation signal and response signal are necessary. But excitations can not be measured for structures under natural loading conditions, or excited by random forces. So, the operational modal parameter identification approaches are developing to identify structural modal parameters by using vibration response signal directly. In this paper, a new method for modal parameter identification depending on ambient excitation response signal is proposed based on independent component analysis (ICA). For modal coordinates independent of each other, ICA can extract modal coordinates of structure and estimate mode shape matrix using vibration response signal directly. The free vibration responses can be obtained by random decrement technique (RDT) from modal coordinates which are random processes, and then the natural frequencies and damping ratios are calculated by Hilbert transform. Numerical simulation results indicate that this method is effective and suitable for output-only structural modal parameter identification.

Automated identification and long-term tracking of modal parameters for a super high-rise building

The primary objective of this paper is to develop output only modal identification and structural damage detection. Identification of multi-degree of freedom (MDOF) linear time invariant (LTI) and linear time variant (LTV—due to damage) systems based on Time-frequency (TF) techniques—such as short-time Fourier transform (STFT), empirical mode decomposition (EMD), and wavelets—is proposed. STFT, EMD, and wavelet methods developed to date are reviewed in detail. In addition a Hilbert transform (HT) approach to determine frequency and damping is also presented. In this paper, STFT, EMD, HT and wavelet techniques are developed for decomposition of free vibration response of MDOF systems into their modal components. Once the modal components are obtained, each one is processed using Hilbert transform to obtain the modal frequency and damping ratios. In addition, the ratio of modal components at different degrees of freedom facilitate determination of mode shape. In cases with output only modal identification using ambient/random response, the random decrement technique is used to obtain free vibration response. The advantage of TF techniques is that they are signal based; hence, can be used for output only modal identification. A three degree of freedom 1:10 scale model test structure is used to validate the proposed output only modal identification techniques based on STFT, EMD, HT, wavelets. Both measured free vibration and forced vibration (white noise) response are considered. The secondary objective of this paper is to show the relative ease with which the TF techniques can be used for modal identification and their potential for real world applications where output only identification is essential. Recorded ambient vibration data processed using techniques such as the random decrement technique can be used to obtain the free vibration response, so that further processing using TF based modal identification can be performed.

In order to identify the modal parameters of time invariant three-dimensional engineering structures with damping and small nonlinearity, a novel isometric feature mapping (Isomap)-based three-dimensional operational modal analysis (OMA) method is proposed to extract nonlinear features in this paper. Using this Isomap-based OMA method, a low-dimensional embedding matrix is multiplied by a transformation matrix to obtain the original matrix. We find correspondence relationships between the low-dimensional embedding matrix and the modal coordinate response and between the transformation matrix and the modal shapes. From the low-dimensional embedding matrix, the natural frequencies can be determined using a Fourier transform and the damping ratios can be identified by the random decrement technique or natural excitation technique. The modal shapes can be estimated from the Moore–Penrose matrix inverse of the low-dimensional embedding matrix. We also discuss the effects of different parameters (i.e., number of neighbors and matrix assembly) on the results of modal parameter identification. The modal identification results from numerical simulations of the vibration response signals of a cylindrical shell under white noise excitation demonstrate that the proposed method can identify the modal shapes, natural frequencies, and ratios of three-dimensional structures in operational conditions only from the vibration response signals.

This paper investigates the use of conventional operational modal analysis (OMA) techniques for modal parameters identification of a rotating system supported by roller bearings. Although largely applied in civil engineering, in-depth studies on different types of systems are still limited in the literature. The novel of the paper is to address such issue by applying conventional OMA methods, such as enhanced frequency domain decomposition (EFDD) and stochastic subspace identification (SSI-data), to identify the modal parameters of a rotating machine, investigating the challenging particularities of these systems due to their inherent operating conditions, especially regarding the presence of harmonic forces, eventually closed-spaced modes, and non-proportional damping due to the bearings. The results presented in the experimental tests showed that, with the use of specific tools, in comparison with traditional experimental modal analysis (EMA), the used OMA methods have managed to successfully identify the modal parameters of a roller bearing supported rotor.

The instrumented Canton Tower is a 610 m high-rise structure, which has been considered as a benchmark problem for structural health monitoring (SHM) research. In this paper, an improved automatic modal identification method is presented based on a natural excitation technique in conjunction with the eigensystem realization algorithm (NExT/ERA). In the proposed modal identification method, damping ratio, consistent mode indicator from observability matrices (CMI_O) and modal amplitude coherence (MAC) are used as criteria to distinguish the physically true modes from spurious modes. Enhanced frequency domain decomposition (EFDD), the data-driven stochastic subspace identification method (SSI-DATA) and the proposed method are respectively applied to extract the modal parameters of the Canton Tower under different environmental conditions. Results of modal parameter identification based on output-only measurements are presented and discussed. User-selected parameters used in those methods are suggested and discussed. Furthermore, the effect of environmental conditions on the dynamic characteristics of Canton tower is investigated.

Photovoltaic power generation is fluctuation and intermittent, and the grid-connected operation of large-scale photovoltaic power plants may have an impact on the safe and stable economic operation of the power system. An effective way to solve the problem is to make scientific forecasts of the output power of PV power plants. In this paper, Back Propagation (BP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network prediction models are established by using the historical values of actual power generation of Guhe Runneng Photovoltaic Power Station in Gaotang County of Liaocheng City in 2017. According to the characteristics of photovoltaic power fluctuation, the output power is treated as a set of digital signals for short-term PV power prediction, and a prediction model based on the Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT) power data decomposition is proposed. Through the analysis of an example, it can be concluded that after HHT, the prediction effect is significantly improved, and the accuracy of PV power prediction is improved. Moreover, compared with BP neural network, RBF neural network has smaller prediction error.

In this paper, a new modal parameters identification method is presented based on NExT (natural excitation technique) and the response data of the structure under non-stationary ambient excitation the white noise excitation assumption for NExT is extended to a MA (q) model assumption to establish an extended NExT method. Then the assumption that the non-stationary excitation is composed of a (d-1)-th order polynomial and a MA(q) model is proposed. Taking d-th order difference of the non-stationary excitation yields a MA(q+d) model, which satisfies the assumption of the extended NExT method mentioned above. Thus, the extended NExT method can be used in the condition of non-stationary excitation. In order to reduce the error of difference calculation during identification implementation, the difference computation is performed in frequency-domain instead of time-domain. The identification results from the proposed method are compared with the standard NExT for a three DOFs (degrees of freedom) vibration system and the finite element (FE) model of Longtanhe Bridge. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can obtain better modal parameters of the system under non-stationary ambient excitation than the standard NExT.

Based on the structure modal parameter identification method, the free vibration signal is first extracted using random decrement technique, and then the cross-correlations of different respond points obtained through NExT method are taken as the inputs of the modal time domain identification, and parameter identification is obtained by means of complex exponential method .. The local damage diagnosis is achieved according to the modal frequency movement. In order to ensure the accuracy of identification, the method of reference points selection is analyzed. The experiment shows that, the reference points selection method discussed here is valid in improving the accuracy of modal parameter identification, and the modal frequency could be used to judge the occurrence of damage.

This paper explores the possibility of using a combination of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the Hilbert transform (HT), termed the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method, to identify the modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modal frequencies. The principle of the HHT method and the procedure of using the HHT method for modal damping ratio identification are briefly introduced first. The dynamic response of a two-degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) system under an impact load is then computed for a wide range of dynamic properties from well-separated modal frequencies to very closely spaced modal frequencies. The natural frequencies and modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method are compared with the theoretical values and those identified using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method. The results show that the HHT method is superior to the FFT method in the identification of modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modes of vibration. Finally, a 36-storey shear building with a 4-storey light appendage, having closely spaced modal frequencies and subjected to an ambient ground motion, is analyzed. The modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method in conjunction with the random decrement technique (RDT) are much better than those obtained by the FFT method. The HHT method performing in the frequency-time domain seems to be a promising tool for system identification of civil engineering structures.

Modal parameter identification via ambient vibration is popular but faces challenges from uncertainties due to unknown inputs and low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Bayesian methods are gaining increasing attention for operational modal identification due to their ability to quantify uncertainties. However, improvements in computational efficiency are needed, particularly when addressing numerous modes and degrees of freedom. To address this challenge, this study proposes an innovative approach, termed the “Bayesian spectral decomposition” method (BSD), employing the decompose‐and‐conquer strategy. This novel method, operating within the frequency domain, identifies each mode individually by exploiting their inherent separated modal characteristics. For each mode, the response spectrum matrix undergoes an eigenvalue decomposition, yielding crucial eigenvalues (incorporating frequency and damping information) and eigenvectors (containing mode shape information). Subsequently, statistical properties of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are utilized to establish likelihood functions for Bayesian parameter identification. By combining prior information, the posterior probability distribution functions of modal parameters are derived. The optimal solution is then obtained by resolving the maximum posterior probability distribution function problem. To further quantify the uncertainty of modal parameters, Gaussian distributions are employed to approximate the posterior probability distribution functions. The adoption of the decomposition approach circumvents the joint identification of all modal parameters, substantially reducing the parameter dimensions for optimization. Consequently, this strategy leads to decreased computational complexity and significantly improved computational stability. The effectiveness of the BSD is confirmed through simulated data generated from an 8‐story shear building as well as measured data collected from both an experimental shear frame and the Canton Tower. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high accuracy in identifying modal parameters, greatly improves computational efficiency, and effectively quantifies the uncertainties in modal parameters.

Existing studies have attempted to determine the tool chipping condition using the indirect method of data capture and intelligent analysis techniques considering machine parameters, and tool conditions using signal processing techniques. Due to the obstructive nature of the machining operation, however, it is daunting to use signal capturing to intelligently capture the condition of the tool as well as that of the workpiece. This study aimed to apply some advanced signal processing techniques to the vibration signals captured experimentally during machining operation for the decision making and analysis of tool and workpiece conditions. Vibration signals were captured during turning operations while using four (4) classes of tools, based on their flank wear. The signals were first pre-processed and decomposed using the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method. The Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) was applied to the resulting IMFs obtained to compute the feature vectors used to classify the condition of the tool and workpiece. A total of 12 features, consisting of instantaneous properties such as instantaneous energy, instantaneous frequencies, and amplitudes, were obtained for data training and classification of tool conditions. To optimize the classification process, feature selection was performed using a genetic algorithm (GA) to reduce the number of features from 12 to 4 for data training and classification. The feature vectors were first trained for tool classification with a neural network scaled conjugate gradient (SCG) algorithm. The result showed that the model classification error was 0.102. Two other machine learning models, support vector machine (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), were also implemented for classifying the tool conditions, from the feature vector, to determine the model that most accurately predicted the condition of the tool. To avoid bias and reduce misclassification errors, the k-fold cross-validation technique was applied with ‘k’ taken as 5 and 10. The computed feature vectors were used as inputs to train the machine learning model using both SVM and KNN models to classify the tool and workpiece condition during machining. The error loss of each model was evaluated and plotted to review the performance. The average overall error loss of 0.5031 was observed for the SVM model with 5-fold cross-validation, whereas the error loss of 0.0318 was observed for the KNN model with 5-fold cross-validation. The average overall error loss of 0.5009 was observed for the SVM model with 10-fold cross-validation when trained using the features selected by a genetic algorithm (GA), while the average overall error loss of 0.0343 was observed for the KNN model. The optimal performance of the SVM model was obtained when all features were used for the training, whereas the KNN model performed better when feature selection was implemented. The error losses of the models were evaluated to be less in KNN models, compared to SVM and SCG. The obtained results also showed that the developed KNN models performed 10 times better than the SVM model in predicting the tool condition from the captured vibration signal during the machining process.

An out-put only modal parameter identification method based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) is developed for civil structure identifications. The recently developed VMD technique is utilized to decompose the free decay response (FDR) of a structure into to modal responses. A novel procedure is developed to calculate the instantaneous modal frequencies and instantaneous modal damping ratios. The proposed identification method can straightforwardly extract the mode shape vectors using the modal responses extracted from the FDRs at all available sensors on the structure. A series of numerical and experimental case studies are conducted to demonstrate the efficiency and highlight the superiority of the proposed method in modal parameter identification using both free vibration and ambient vibration data. The results of the present method are compared with those of the empirical mode decomposition-based method, and the superiorities of the present method are verified. The proposed method is proved to be efficient and accurate in modal parameter identification for both linear and nonlinear civil structures, including structures with closely spaced modes, sudden modal parameter variation, and amplitude-dependent modal parameters, etc.

Structural modal parameter identification with the Power-Exponential window function

An accurate prediction for the response of civil and mechanical engineering structures subject to ambient excitation requires the information of dynamic properties of these structures including natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. Since the excitation force is not available as a measured signal, we need to develop techniques which are capable of accurately extracting the modal parameters from output-only data. This article presents the results of modal parameter identification using two time-domain methods as follows: the autoregressive moving average vector (ARMAV) method and the state–space method. These methods directly work with the recorded time signals and allow the analysis of structures where only the output is measured, while the input is unmeasured and unknown. The equivalence between ARMAV and state–space approaches for the problem of modal parameter identification of vibrating systems is shown in the article. Using only the singular value decomposition of a block Hankel matrix of sample covariances, it is shown that these two approaches give identical modal parameters in the case where the block Hankel matrix has full row rank. The time-domain modal identification algorithms have a serious problem of model order determination: when extracting structural modes these algorithms always generate spurious modes. A modal indicator to differentiate spurious and structural modes is presented. Numerical and experimental examples are given to show the effectiveness of the ARMAV or state–space approaches in modal parameter identification using response data only.