Getting Started Manual

For all versions of

ARTeMIS Extractor

2 1

What is in this getting started?

This getting started is a short intro to your first modal identification. It takes you through the different tasks in a simple experimental case doing identification using the simplest technique in the ARTeMIS Extractor software family.With this Getting Started Manual and the on-line help in the software you are well equipped to deal with more challenging cases. The case is shown to the right in figure 1. It is a simple plate, and the response is measured in a 4x4 grid, i.e. a total of 16 measurement points. Five accelerometers are used for the measurement, one is kept as the reference sensor, it is kept in the same position during all data sets, and for each new data set, the remaining 4 sensors are roved along the plate. During measurement, the plate was exited by touching the surface of the plate by a pencil. You will find the input files for the case on your samples CD under directory examples SVSPLATE.The test used in this getting started is denoted SVSPLATE1. As you can se on the picture, the plate has a saw-cut repaired by three bolts.You will find two more tests under the SVSPLATE directory denoted SVSPLATE2 and SVSPLATE3. The first test was made with all three bolts properly tightened, the 2nd test were made with one of the three bolts loosened, and in the 3rd test, two of the three bolts were loosened. The content of this getting started will inform you on how to make your test, how to store your data and create the configuration file that specifies geometry etc., how you check that you got the right information into the software, how you perform your signal processing, and finally how you do your modal ID and validate and document your results.

3
Figure 1. Pictures of the plate used as the case in this getting started.The sensors are mounted for the first data set.

How to make your test?

To perform a test, you need to make up your mind on how you are going to do it. In the following you get some guidelines on how to make good tests, .i.e. a test that will give you the information that you need. The number of measurement points is decided by you. If you do not need to have detailed information on the mode shape, you can make it with only a few measurement points. The number of sensors is also decided by you.You have to use enough sensors to be able to see and to distinguish the modes that you want to identify. If you have only one sensor and you place that sensor in a point where a mode has a node, then this mode will not be present in the data, and you will not be able to identify it. On the other hand, there is no reason to use more sensors than necessary. A good rule of thumb is that for the most cases a good choice is 4-8 sensors. The data sets are planned by you in such a way that you can cover all the measurement points by moving the sensors around data set for data set. However, all modes should be visible in all data sets. As a main rule, make sure that all measurement directions are well represented in all data sets.When you are moving the sensors around on the structure data set for data set, you need to keep a few sensors at the same place all the time.These sensors are your reference sensors.

5
Figure 2. The sensor layout for the four data sets for the plate measurement

Data set 4

Data set 3

Data set 2

Data set 1

6
Reference sensors should be placed in a point where all modes have a significant contribution to the response, i.e. far away from any modal node. As a minimum you need one sensor for each direction, i.e. for a 1D problem one sensor, for a 2D problem two sensors, etc. If you are uncertain about where the modes might have their nodes (and you nearly always are, otherwise you would not really need to do any modal identification), then you better use several reference sensors. Performing the test, you need to decide how you should sample the signal, and how long your time series should be.Your sample frequency should at least be twice the highest natural frequency you are looking for, but for practical reasons a little higher. A good rule of thumb is that if the highest natural frequency is then the sampling frequency should be at least

If the lowest natural frequency is , then the length of the time series should at least be 1000 cycles of the corresponding period, thus, the total length of the time series should not be smaller than However, if your signals are contaminated by noise, or if you have closely spaced modes, you should take longer time series. Exciting the structure is not your problem as it is in traditional modal testing. Using output-only modal testing you let the natural and unknown forces excite the structure.You just have to use sensors sensitive enough to pick up the signal. The more inputs and the more randomly distributed, the better for the identification.

7
Can I put my reference sensor anywhere I want ?

Look, this is a node Dont put a reference sensor here

I always hear people speak about, filters, amplifiers, and all that, is that not important any more ?

Of course ! As important as always, but this is a not problems specific for output-only modal.

Store your data

You have no limitations. You can take as many sensors, as many data sets, as many reference sensors and as long time series as you want.You are only limited by the memory and available disc space on your computer. If you are in doubt, sample higher and take longer time series than you think that you really need. You can always decimate and truncate your data later. For every data set the response data are stored in one ASCII file.The different time series for the sensors are stored column by column in one big data matrix as shown in Figure 3.The column number of each sensor decides the sequence of the sensors as you like to do it. Later you specify this choice in the configuration file (next section). Before you pack up your equipment and go home from the test site you should make sure that the data are OK. Once you are back in the office, it is often a long way back out there to make new measurements on the structure. It is in general difficult to make up for errors in the signal, so you should ask yourself some important questions: Do you have nice noise free signals in all channels ? Did you make sure that you have no clipping in any channels ? Did you make sure that you have no spikes in the signals ? Did you make sure that no channels are dropping out once in a while ? Did you make exact notes about where you put all the sensors ? To make sure, first of all, be a good book-keeper and make notes about everything, and make these notes in such a way that they cannot disappear easily.Then, do not leave the site before you have checked all your data by looking at them in the time domain and in the frequency domain. In the time domain you check for clipping, spikes and drop-outs, in the frequency domain you check for noise.

9
-5.1241413e-002 -2.5620706e-002 2.5620706e-002 5.1241413e-002 2.5620706e-002 5.1241413e-002 7.6862119e-002 2.5620706e-002 -2.5620706e-002 -2.5620706e-002 -5.1241413e-002 -5.1241413e-002 -5.1241413e-002 -2.5620706e-002 5.1241413e-002 -1.7509253e-001 0.0000000e+000 0.0000000e+000 5.0026439e-002 1.2506610e-001 5.0026439e-002 1.0005288e-001 7.5039655e-002 -7.5039655e-002 -5.0026439e-002 2.5013220e-002 -1.2506610e-001 -1.7509253e-001 0.0000000e+000 2.5013220e-002 -2.0100813e-001 -1.5075609e-001 7.5378045e-002 1.5075609e-001 1.2563008e-001 7.5378045e-002 -7.5378045e-002 -1.0050406e-001 -2.5126016e-002 -5.0252032e-002 2.5126016e-002 1.0050406e-001 0.0000000e+000 -1.0050406e-001 -7.5378045e-002 -5.1720105e-002 -5.1720105e-002 0.0000000e+000 1.2930027e-001 1.2930027e-001 -2.5860053e-002 -1.5516031e-001 -1.2930027e-001 -7.7580154e-002 5.1720105e-002 1.2930027e-001 1.2930027e-001 1.0344021e-001 -2.5860053e-002 -1.5516031e-001 5.1026683e-002 1.2756671e-001 7.6540023e-002 -1.5308005e-001 -1.5308005e-001 0.0000000e+000 -2.5513342e-002 -1.2756671e-001 2.5513342e-002 1.2756671e-001 1.2756671e-001 1.2756671e-001 -5.1026683e-002 -5.1026683e-002 1.2756671e-001

Figure 3. The first 15 measurements of the first data set. First column is channel 1, second column is channel 2, etc.

Figure 4. A little bit of the time series in channel 4.This figure was plotted using MATLAB.

10

Create the configuration file

There are different ways of getting the data into the ARTeMIS Extractor software. If you have a system that can store information in the Universal File Format (UFF), then you can just do that, and you do not have to worry about the configuration file, you read all information directly from the UFF files.You can also use the Automation facility in the ARTeMIS Extractor software that allows you to start and initialize your analysis from within another software product. For instance, there is already the possibility of doing so from MATLAB using the *.m files coming with your ARTeMIS Extractor. The configuration file always works however. If you cannot do it using one of the other ways, you can always do it this way. No matter what kind of data acquisition system that you are using, you just have to store the data as described in the preceding section and built the configuration file by hand as described here. In the configuration file you must specify a header, the sampling interval , the points, the lines to plot between points, and for each data set, the file name, and for each measured degree of freedom the measurement point and the direction. Optionally you can specify equations to describe rigid body motions of parts of the body that you are dealing with or to specify interpolation of movements between measured points. You built the configuration file by using any ASCII editor. However, be aware that some editors create funny control characters that might not be allowed in the

11
Do I really not have to worry about exiting the structure ?
No, you let the nature do the job for you, everything is vibrating allready, all by it self

Then what if my sensors are not sensitive enough ?

OK, then you apply some kind of loading, but remember to make it as random and realistic as possible

Really! then what if a certain mode is not exited, then what ?

If the mode is not exited by the natural loads, -is it then important?

12
configuration file.Therefore, if you have any problems reading the file into the ARTeMIs Extractor software, as a main rule, always check your configuration file with the NOTEPAD editor that is showing these kinds of unwanted control characters. The structure of a specification statement is like this: Any number of comment lines A keyword One or several lines of information An empty line that terminates the statement The keywords are: Header specifying the project header T specifying the sampling interval Nodes specifying node numbers and coordinates Lines specifying lines to be displayed Setups specifying the data sets and degrees of freedom measured. Just look into the SVSPLATE.CFG file to see all the details, it is all self-explaining. However, a few comments will be given about specifying the data sets. In this test case we have four data sets.Thus, after the keyword setups follows a lines with a label for the data set, in this case called Data set 1,2,3,4, then a line specifying the name of the data file, in this case SVSPLATE1,2,3,4, and then the different degrees of freedom. First time series in the data matrix (first column) is taken in point 17, coordinates of the direction vector is [0,0,1] (z-direction), the rest is optional. Next time series from point 1, etc. Degrees of freedom that are repeated in all data sets are automatically defined as references.

13
So if this is such a good piece of software, why does it not have a geometry generator ?
Because the people behind the ARTeMIS believe that the geometry generation should be with the measurement system.

For what reason would that be ?

Because you need to make up your mind about your geometry before you go out and make the test, and you need that geometry during the testing.

OK, I see the point, but nobody has this software, will I ever be able to get one ?

Actually B&K makes one that they call Operational Modal T Consultant, the est ART eMIS people are making their own solution, they call it ART eMIS T estor.

14

Load and check your project

You open a new project by starting ARTeMIS Extractor, ask for a new project and then browse to find and specify the *.cfg file that you want to open. Once you have accepted a certain configuration file, all the data are loaded into the computer. If it is a large amount of data it may take some minutes to load it all. Project information is accessed by pressing the project key in the task bar to the left of the ARTeMIS Extractor display. However, after loading a new project, the project window is automatically displayed, it looks like shown in Figure 5. You can check all the information that you have loaded into the software by going through the different tabs in this window. For instance node coordinates can be checked by choosing the Project main tab and the Nodes sub-tab.Then the window looks like shown in Figure 6. The geometry can be checked by pressing the Geometry main tab and then rotate the geometry object to inspect it from different angles.You rotate the plot by gripping unto the plot using the left mouse button and then moving the mouse like on a MATLAB 3D plot. You control the 3D plot by using the 3D control panel at the bottom of the ARTeMIS Extractor display. If you want to zoom, use the zoom button at the 3D control panel.

15
Figure 5. Project window when you open a new file

Figure 6. Information about nodes is obtained by pressing the Nodes sub-tab

16

Perform the signal processing

The data that you have loaded into the software are raw data, pure time series as they come out of your data acquisition system. Before you proceed to inspect your data and make your identification, you need to specify some kind of signal processing. Different kinds of signal processing are available, however, here we will introduce you only to the signal processing needed to perform the simplest possible identification using Frequency Domain Decomposition. Two classes of signal processing tools are available: Irreversible processing and reversible processing.The irreversible processing might include decimation and filtering.These signal processing steps will permanently change your signals, and the only way to restore the original data is to load the raw data into the software again as described in the preceding section.The reversible signal processing steps includes spectral estimation, correlation function estimation and estimation of the common SSI input matrix for the parametric time domain techniques. Of reversible steps, in this case you need only to perform spectral estimation. You specify the signal processing by starting the signal processing wizard.You start that wizard by pressing the Define Sign. Proc. Conf. button in the Data main task . Make the choices that the signal processing wizard is asking you to do.

17
Figure 7. A spectral estimate with too few frequency lines

Figure 8. A spectral estimate with too many frequency lines allowing for too few averages

18
Spectral estimation is specified by the number of frequency lines in the spectral density functions. If this number is too low, you might have too little frequency resolution to clearly see the modal peaks in the spectal density functions, Figure 7. If the number of lines becomes too large, you will have to few data points in your time series to have a proper averaging of the spectral density function estimates, and you will have too much scatter on them, Figure 8. A good compromise of the frequency resolution is when you can clearly see the modal peaks in the spectral density functions, when the frequency resolution is just enough, and the scatter is acceptable. An example of a good compromise is shown in Figure 9. You should play with different choices and make up your mind about what is best using the Test Trial Conf. feature under the Data main task. Using this feature, you can play with different signal processing choices without changing the raw data loaded into the system. Once you have finally choosen a signal processing configuration as the one selected for analysis (you select that at the end of the signal processing wizard), then you can press the Process Data button under the Data main task, and all your data can be processed at once. After you have done that, then your data are permanently changed due to the irreversible signal processing. In this getting started case, uncheck Correlation Functions Estimation and Common SSI Input Matrix Estimation when ordering Process Data.

19
Figure 9. A good compromise:You can see the spectral peaks, and you can live with the scatter

Figure 10. You can put the cursor any place on a plot and read out the values. Here the cursor is placed to indicate the peak of the second mode.

20

Viewing your processed data

Before you do any identification you should take a careful look at your data to make up your mind about the physical information in them. Look through all the spectral density functions using the View Proc. Data under the Data main task. You can inspect any value on the spectral density functions and correlation functions that you have now estimated. Just click the left mouse button on the plot that you want to take a reading from, see the example in Figure 10. If you like to indicate the peaks for your further analysis when doing the identification, you can press the right mouse button and select the Mode Marker Line / New in the menu, Figure 11. It is good idea also to compare the spectral densities for the reference sensors of the different data sets by pressing the Compare Proc. Ref. Data key in under the Data main task. Doing this kind of comparison you have a possibility to inspect the quality of the reference sensor signals, and to inspect if the modal information is the same in all four data sets. You can see how many modes you have at a peak by inspecting the number of singular values at a certain peak by pressing the SVD tab in the View Processed Data window. Number of singular values simply indicate the number of modes at a peak. Check the two modes around 1890 Hz

21

Figure 11. Marking mode 2 by a Mode Marker Line

Figure 12. When the FDD peak picking window comes up it looks like this

22

Doing your identification

The simplest way to perform a modal identification is to use the peak picking version of the Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) technique. You start it up by pressing the FDD Peak Picking tab under the FDD main task.Then you see a window looking like Figure 12. In any case, no matter how much more advanced you like to be in the end, you should always start with this one.The simple identification in the frequency domain is the best way to introduce yourself to the modal information present in the signals. So now you are ready to identify the first mode, what do you do then ? when ever you are estimating a mode, no matter what technique you are using, you control the main features in the estimation process using the modal mini bar shown in Figure 13. Her you see two active buttons, marked with red: the New Mode < > button and the Show Averaged SVD Lines < > button.You use the < > button to indicate that you want to estimate a new mode, however, before you do that, first you have to de-activate the < > button (if it is activated).The reason is that in this case you have to treat the four data sets separately. If you have been looking carefully through the data as you were advised to do in the preceding section, then you would have noticed the frequencies

23
Figure 13. The Modal Mini Bar

Figure 14. The drop-down list for selection of active data set

Figure 15. Click on < > button to identify a new mode, double-click on the peak, and you are finished.

24
where you have your spectral peaks, and you would have noticed that the frequencies are not the same in the four data-sets - what is the reason for this frequency shifting ? The reason is that when we are moving around with the accelerometers on this tiny little structure, then we are significantly changing the mass distribution of the structure.Therefore, we have to treat each of the data sets separately. OK, so de-activate the < > button, then you will see the drop-down list for selection of active data set becoming active, Figure 14. Here is the procedure for identifying a new mode.

Choose the data set that you want to start with, you do so by using the drop-down list shown in Figure 14. Press the < > in the modal mini bar. Move the mouse into the plotting region in the FDD window, you will now see a cursor-like line and a plus-sign snapping on different points of the plot. Once the plus-sign is a the peak that you want to indicate as a modal peak, double-click using your left mouse button.Then the plus-sign changes to a square, and it snaps permanently to the peak.The window now looks like Figure 15. Go to next data set using the drop-down list, check if the selected point is at the top of the peak. If not, press the Edit Mode button in the modal mini bar and move the point where you want it to be. Go through all data sets until the selected point is at the peak point in all data sets

25
Figure 16. Inspect the mode shape by pressing the animate tab in the FDD window.

Figure 17. Start/Stop and single step control buttons for the mode shape animation.

26

Validation and exporting

You can now inspect the mode shape by pressing the Animate tab in the FDD window.You can make the mode animating by pressing the Start Animation button in the 3D instrument panel at the bottom of the screen, see Figure 17.You can also inspect the mode shape by stepping through the animation step-by-step using the Step Forward/Step Backward buttons. Check the validity of the modal estimate by comparing the results for different user choices. Using the simple FDD peak picking technique, the only user choice is the frequency line selected by the user. For mode two at 1080 Hz, the mode shape estimate is quite uncertain. You can see this clearly by making two estimates of the same mode, for the first estimate, select points a little (just one frequency line) to the left of the peak, and for the second estimate, select points a little to the right of the peak. Now you have two estimates of the same mode. If the mode is property estimated, then the mode shapes will be nearly identical. You can compare mode shapes activating the Mode Comparison window under the Validate main task. In this window, choose the Overlaid Animation tab, choose the two selected modes in the mode-tree to the right of the window, and inspect the similarity of the mode shapes, Figure 18.

27

Figure 18. Comparison of the two mode shape estimates of mode 2.They are not very close - why ? Because the reference sensor was badly placed for estimation of this mode.

28
Now, we have to know why this can happen.Why are the two mode shape estimates so different ? The difference is absolutely not acceptable, we need to be able to do much better than this ! Well the reason is simple.The reference transducer was placed at a point where this mode has nearly no amplitude.The point is close to being a node, and thus, the estimated mode shape becomes uncertain. You can check this postulate by comparing the reference signals under the Data main task (observe that the peak of the second mode nearly vanish). Alternatively, you can inspect the mode shape estimate itself, and acknowledge, that the sensor was placed in a point where the movement of the mode is nearly non-existing. Try on your own to estimate the rest of the modes and investigate by comparing different estimates for the same mode, if the rest of the modes are OK, Figure 19 You can export all graphics by Copy and Paste commands. For instance, make two versions of mode three and plot them in the Mode Comparison window.Then inside the plotting field, click the right mouse button and choose Copy.Then go to your Word, Power Point or Paint document and Paste.Then you get a figure like Figure 20. This mode is accurately estimated. You see this immediately since the plots of the two mode shape estimates are so close, that graphically it looks like one plot.

29
Figure 19. Estimating the eight first modes the window looks like this

Figure 20. Exporting mode animation by Copy/Paste to Word, Power Point or Paint

30
If you like to quantify the difference between the two mode shapes, press the Information tab in the Mode Comparison window.Then you see a list of deviations between the two mode shape estimates. Now, sort the list according to descending values of the magnitude of the difference, and you get a table like Figure 21. This table was exported by marking the first three lines in the list, exporting it to Word by Copy/Paste, blocking the lines in Word and then using a Table Insert command in Word. Now when you are sure about the modes you are ready to finally export graphics and tables and write your modal identification report. One of your main results will be a table of the modes that you have identified. If you go back to the FDD window keeping only the modes that you would like to present in your report, then you simply export it by blocking the modes, exporting by Copy/Paste, and then defining your table. Assuming that we take all 8 modes, the table of estimated modes might look like Figure 22. If you like you can put your comments in column 6 of the table, either after you exported it, or in the FDD window. In this case you have no damping estimation, the simple peak picking technique only gives you frequencies and mode shapes. If you want damping you need the enhanced FDD or the time domain techniques.
The more techniques you use, the better you can validate your results.

31
Figure 21. Exporting a list is also easy, export by Copy/Paste and define it as a table in Word.

Figure 22. Exporting modal results from FDD window by Copy/Paste.

After reading this Getting Started Manual, you should be able to perform your first identification right away. If it takes you more than a few hours to do it, please let us know, because then we have to learn to improve either our software or this getting started manual. To continue learning how to use the software take advantage of the on-line help. Just press the Help button on the main menu Have pleasure !

Structurel Vibration Solutions ApS . NOVI Science Park . Niels Jernes Vej 10, DK 9220 Aalborg, Denmark.

www.svibs.com

Layout: SKILTESTUEN +45 9817 8899