Formulation of an experimental substructure model using a Craig–Bampton based transmission simulator

Experimental–analytical substructuring is attractive when there is motivation to replace one or more system subcomponents with an experimental model. This experimentally derived substructure can then be coupled to finite element models of the rest of the structure to predict the system response. The transmission simulator method couples a fixture to the component of interest during a vibration test in order to improve the experimental model for the component. The transmission simulator is then subtracted from the tested system to produce the experimental component. The method reduces ill-conditioning by imposing a least squares fit of constraints between substructure modal coordinates to connect substructures, instead of directly connecting physical interface degrees of freedom. This paper presents an alternative means of deriving the experimental substructure model, in which a Craig–Bampton representation of the transmission simulator is created and subtracted from the experimental measurements. The corresponding modal basis of the transmission simulator is described by the fixed-interface modes, rather than free modes that were used in the original approach. These modes do a better job of representing the shape of the transmission simulator as it responds within the experimental system, leading to more accurate results using fewer modes. The new approach is demonstrated using a simple finite element model based example with a redundant interface.