1USING MSC/NASTRAN AND LMS/PRETEST TO FIND AN OPTIMAL SENSOR PLACEMENT FOR MODAL IDENTIFICATION AND CORRELATION OF AEROSPACE STRUCTURES

As time-to-market also in aerospace begins to play a crucial role, accurate predictions and simulations of the behavior of new structures based on analytical models become more and more important. A modal identification must be performed to obtain modal parameters which can be compared with the pre-test analytical results using correlation techniques. Based on the outcome of the correlation analysis, the analytical models must be ‘updated ’ such that they more accurately predict the actual test results. Since often the time is lacking to validate each component separately, it is a great challenge to define an optimal sensor set for the complete assembly, including internal components. Also, new materials, hyper-new design and not to forget the ever growing model sizes do not make the job more easy. This paper approaches the sensor placement problem from the standpoint of the structural dynamicist who must use the modal parameters obtained during a ground vibration, or eventually an on-orbit test, to perform a test-analysis correlation and updating analysis. The paper also explains which tools are available to make his life easier. A good choice is crucial not only for experimental observability of the dynamic behavior of the structure, but also for the accuracy of the reduced matrices (for orthogonality calculations). Eventually it will help also the modal analysist during his tests and i