Automated eigensystem realisation algorithm for operational modal analysis

The eigensystem realisation algorithm (ERA) is one of the most popular methods in civil engineering applications for estimating modal parameters. Three issues have been addressed in the paper: spurious mode elimination, estimating the energy relationship between different modes, and automatic analysis of the stabilisation diagram. On spurious mode elimination, a new criterion, modal similarity index (MSI) is proposed to measure the reliability of the modes obtained by ERA. On estimating the energy relationship between different modes, the mode energy level (MEL) was introduced to measure the energy contribution of each mode, which can be used to indicate the dominant mode. On automatic analysis of the stabilisation diagram, an automation of the mode selection process based on a hierarchical clustering algorithm was developed. An experimental example of the parameter estimation for the Chaotianmen bridge model in Chongqing, China, is presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.