Jean-Philippe Noël

Identification of nonlinear normal modes of engineering structures under broadband forcing

Abstract The objective of the present paper is to develop a two-step methodology integrating system identification and numerical continuation for the experimental extraction of nonlinear normal modes (NNMs) under broadband forcing. The first step processes acquired input and output data to derive an experimental state-space model of the structure. The second step converts this state-space model into a model in modal space from which NNMs are computed using shooting and pseudo-arclength continuation. The method is demonstrated using noisy synthetic data simulated on a cantilever beam with a hardening-softening nonlinearity at its free end.

A nonlinear state-space approach to hysteresis identification

Abstract Most studies tackling hysteresis identification in the technical literature follow white-box approaches, i.e. they rely on the assumption that measured data obey a specific hysteretic model. Such an assumption may be a hard requirement to handle in real applications, since hysteresis is a highly individualistic nonlinear behaviour. The present paper adopts a black-box approach based on nonlinear state-space models to identify hysteresis dynamics. This approach is shown to provide a general framework to hysteresis identification, featuring flexibility and parsimony of representation. Nonlinear model terms are constructed as a multivariate polynomial in the state variables, and parameter estimation is performed by minimising weighted least-squares cost functions. Technical issues, including the selection of the model order and the polynomial degree, are discussed, and model validation is achieved in both broadband and sine conditions. The study is carried out numerically by exploiting synthetic data generated via the Bouc–Wen equations.

Application of the Restoring Force Surface Method to a Real-life Spacecraft Structure

Many nonlinear system identification methods have been introduced in the technical literature during the last 30 years. However, few of these methods were applied to real-life structures. In this context, the objective of the present paper is to demonstrate that the Restoring Force Surface (RFS) method can provide a reliable identification of a nonlinear spacecraft structure. The nonlinear component comprises an inertia wheel mounted on a support, the motion of which is constrained by eight elastomer plots and mechanical stops. Several adaptations to the RFS method are proposed, which include the elimination of kinematic constraints and the regularization of ill-conditioned inverse problems. The proposed methodology is demonstrated using numerical data.

Experimental study of isolated response curves in a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system

In the present paper, the observation and characterization of isolated response curves (IRCs) are experimentally reported in the case of a nonlinear system consisting of two masses sliding on an horizontal guide. Transverse springs are attached to one mass to provide the nonlinear restoring force, and a harmonic motion of the complete system is imposed by prescribing the displacement of their supports. The existence of an IRC is related to a 3:1 internal resonance between the two modes of the system. The observed IRC is studied in detached and merged conditions using swept-sine excitations and system perturbations.

Isolated Response Curves in a Base-Excited, Two-Degree-of-Freedom, Nonlinear System

In the present paper, isolated response curves in a nonlinear system consisting of two masses sliding on a horizontal guide are examined. Transverse springs are attached to one mass to provide the nonlinear restoring force, and a harmonic motion of the complete system is imposed by prescribing the displacement of their supports. Numerical simulations are carried out to study the conditions of existence of isolated solutions, their bifurcations, their merging with the main response branch and their basins of attraction. This is achieved using tools including nonlinear normal modes, energy balance, harmonic balance-based continuation and bifurcation tracking, and global analysis.Copyright

Subspace and Nonlinear-Normal-Modes-Based Identification of a Beam with Softening-Hardening Behaviour

The capability to reproduce and predict with high accuracy the behaviour of a real system is a fundamental task of numerical models. In nonlinear structural dynamics, additional parameters compared to classical linear modelling, which include the nonlinear coefficient and the mathematical form of the nonlinearity, need to be identified to bring the numerical predictions in good agreement with the experimental observations. In this context, the present paper presents a method for the identification of an experimental cantilever beam with a geometrically nonlinear thin beam clamped with a prestress, hence giving rise to a softening-hardening nonlinearity. A novel nonlinear subspace identification method formulated in the frequency domain is first exploited to estimate the nonlinear parameters of the real structure together with the underlying linear system directly from the experimental tests. Then a finite element model, built from the estimated parameters, is used to compute the backbone of the first nonlinear normal mode motion. These numerical evaluations are compared to a nonlinear normal modes-based identification of the structure using system responses to stepped sine excitation at different forcing levels.

Grey-box nonlinear state-space modelling for mechanical vibrations identification

Abstract In the present paper, a flexible and parsimonious model of the vibrations of nonlinear mechanical systems is introduced in the form of state-space equations. It is shown that the nonlinear model terms can be formed using a limited number of output measurements. A twostep identification procedure is derived for this grey-box model, integrating nonlinear subspace initialisation and maximum likelihood optimisation. The complete procedure is demonstrated on the Silverbox benchmark, which is an electrical mimicry of a single-degree-of-freedom mechanical system with one displacement-dependent nonlinearity.

A new subspace-based approach to identify nonlinear mechanical structures in the frequency domain

Abstract This paper introduces a new frequency-domain subspace-based method for the identification of nonlinear mechanical systems. The technique exploits frequency data and interprets nonlinearities as feedback forces exciting the underlying linear system. It is demonstrated using two academic examples, a Duffing oscillator and a five degree-of-freedom system comprising two nonlinearities.

Grey-box state-space identification of nonlinear mechanical vibrations

ABSTRACT The present paper deals with the identification of nonlinear mechanical vibrations. A grey-box, or semi-physical, nonlinear state-space representation is introduced, expressing the nonlinear basis functions using a limited number of measured output variables. This representation assumes that the observed nonlinearities are localised in physical space, which is a generic case in mechanics. A two-step identification procedure is derived for the grey-box model parameters, integrating nonlinear subspace initialisation and weighted least-squares optimisation. The complete procedure is applied to an electrical circuit mimicking the behaviour of a single–input, single–output (SISO) nonlinear mechanical system and to a single–input, multiple–output (SIMO) geometrically nonlinear beam structure.

Frequency-domain subspace identification of nonlinear mechanical systems - Application to a solar array structure

The present paper addresses the experimental identification of a simplified realisation of a solar array structure in folded configuration. To this end, a nonlinear subspace identification technique formulated in the frequency domain, referred to as the FNSI method, is exploited. The frequency response functions of the underlying linear structure and the nonlinear coefficients are estimated by this approach. Nonlinearity is caused by impacts between adjacent panels and friction and gaps appearing in their clamping interfaces. This application is challenging for several reasons, which include high modal density and the complicated nature of the involved nonlinear mechanisms.