Modal Analysis and Structural Dynamics R&D

You need the natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes of a structure — a bracket, a gearbox casing, a composite panel, a machine tool spindle. That means Frequency Response Functions, and FRFs mean a controlled excitation source and a calibrated multi-channel capture system.

Hammer testing. Mount accelerometers at your response DOFs. Connect to a PhonoVibe O or HD for simultaneous multi-point capture. Excite the structure with a calibrated impact hammer. TVIB TSAP201 captures the force and response channels, computes H1 or H2 FRF estimators, and flags coherence below your acceptance threshold. Repeat per the roving-hammer or roving-response protocol you need.

Shaker testing. Connect the PhonoVibe Eco X’s signal generator to your shaker amplifier. Generate burst-random, chirp, or pseudo-random excitation. The TIST 205 module drives the signal and synchronises capture — same hardware, same software, same data format as the hammer test.

FRF processing. Export FRFs from TVIB into your modal solver (ME’Scope, MATLAB, or the MODALVIEW add-on). Extract poles using peak-picking, circle-fit, or MDOF curve-fit as appropriate. Mode shapes go back into MODALVIEW for ODS visualisation if the structure is too complex for hand interpretation.

When does this matter? Prototype structural validation. Noise path analysis. Troubleshooting resonance-driven fatigue. Correlating FEM predictions against test data. Any situation where a natural frequency is either an asset (tuned absorber) or a liability (resonant failure).

The PhonoVibe’s 24-bit simultaneous-sampling architecture ensures phase accuracy across channels — critical for mode-shape extraction, where phase relationships between measurement points are the data.

Products in this workflow

• PhonoVibe Series DAQ
• TVIB Analysis Software
• Sensors & Accessories