Quartus Engineering

Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.

FEM
FOR THE TEST ENGINEER
Christopher C. Flanigan
Quartus Engineering Incorporated
San Diego, California USA



18th International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC-XVIII)
San Antonio, Texas
February 7-10, 2000
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Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
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QUARTUS ENGINEERING WEB SITE
http://www.quartus.com
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FEM PEOPLE ARE REALLY SMART
Or so they would have you believe!
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FEM for the Test Engineer

TOPICS
Theres reality, and then theres FEM
FEM in a nutshell
FEM strengths and challenges
Pretest analysis
Model reduction
Sensor placement
Posttest analysis
Correlation
Model updating
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Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
Quartus Engineering
Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
Theres Reality, and Then Theres FEM

REALITY IS VERY COMPLICATED!
Many complex subsystems
Unique connections
Advanced materials
Broadband excitation
Nonlinearities
Flight-to-flight variability
Chaos
Extremely high order behavior
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Theres Reality, and Then Theres FEM

FEM ATTEMPTS TO
SIMULATE REALITY
Fortunately, reality is
surprisingly linear
Material properties (o vs. c)
Tension vs. compression
Small deflections (sin u = u)
Load versus deflection
Allows reasonable
opportunity simulate reality
using FEM
-1
-0.75
-0.5
-0.25
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
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Theres Reality, and Then Theres FEM

REMEMBER THAT FEM
ONLY APPROXIMATES REALITY
Reality has lots of hard challenges
Nonlinearity, chaos, etc.
FEM limited by many factors
Engineering knowledge and capabilities
Basic understanding of mechanics
Computer and software power
But its the best approach we have
Experience shows that FEM works well when used properly
FEM
Ahead!
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

TEST IS NOT REALITY EITHER!
Test article instead of flight article
Mass simulators, missing items, boundary conditions
Excitation limitations
Load level, spectrum (dont break it!)
Nonlinearities
Testing limitations
Sensor accuracy and calibration
Data processing
But its the best reality check available
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FEM
in a Nutshell
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FEM for the Test Engineer

FEM IN A NUTSHELL
Divide and conquer!
Shape functions
Elemental stiffness and mass matrices
Assembly of system matrices
Solving
Related topics
Element library
Superelements
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FEM in a Nutshell

CLOSED FORM SOLUTIONS, ANYONE?
Consider a building
Steel girders
Concrete foundation
Can you write an equation to
fully describe the building?
I cant!
Even if possible, probably not
the best approach
Very time consuming
One-time solution
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FEM in a Nutshell

DIVIDE AND CONQUER!
Behavior of complete
structure is complex
Example: membrane
Divide the membrane
into small pieces
Buzzword: element
Feasible to calculate
properties of each piece
Collection of pieces
represents structure
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
S1
S3
S5
S7
S9
S11
S13
S15
S17
S19
-1.00
-0.80
-0.60
-0.40
-0.20
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
0.80-1.00
0.60-0.80
0.40-0.60
0.20-0.40
0.00-0.20
-0.20-0.00
-0.40--0.20
-0.60--0.40
-0.80--0.60
-1.00--0.80
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FEM in a Nutshell

SHAPE FUNCTIONS ARE THE
FOUNDATION OF FINTE ELEMENTS
Shape function
Assumed shape of element when deflected
Some element types are simple
Springs, rods, bar
Other elements are more difficult
Plates, solids
But thats what Ph.D.s are for!
Extensive research
Still evolving (MSC.NASTRAN V70.7)
Spring
F = K X
F
X
K
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FEM in a Nutshell

ELEMENT STIFFNESS MATRIX
FORMED USING SHAPE FUNCTIONS
Element stiffness matrix
Relates deflections of elemental DOF
to applied loads
Forces at element DOF when unit
deflection imposed at DOF
i
and
other DOF
j
are fixed
Example: linear spring (2 DOF)
Spring
F = K X
F
X
K
(

=
K K
K K
K
spring
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FEM in a Nutshell

ELEMENT MASS MATRIX
HAS TWO OPTIONS
Lumped mass
Apply 1/N of the element mass to each node
Consistent mass
Called coupled mass in NASTRAN
Use shape functions to generate mass matrix
In practice, usually little difference
between the two methods
Consistent mass more accurate
Lumped mass faster
(

=
M 5 . 0 0
0 M 5 . 0
M
spring
1/4 1/4
1/4 1/4
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FEM in a Nutshell

SYSTEM MATRICES FORMED
FROM ELEMENT MATRICES
K = 2
K = 5
K = 1
M = 1
M = 2
M = 3
(

=
2 2
2 2
K
1
(

=
5 5
5 5
K
2
(

=
1 1
1 1
K
3
(
(
(
(

=
1 1 0 0
1 6 5 0
0 5 7 2
0 0 2 2
K
(
(
(
(

=
5 . 1 0 0 0
0 5 . 2 0 0
0 0 5 . 1 0
0 0 0 5 . 0
M
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FEM in a Nutshell

CALCULATE SYSTEM STATIC
AND DYNAMIC RESPONSES
Static analysis


Normal modes analysis


Transient analysis
P q K q C q M
T T T T
| = | | + | | + | |
| | 0 M K
i i
= |
X K P =
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Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
FEM in a Nutshell

COMMERCIAL FEM ISSUES
Element libraries
Springs, rods, beams, shells, solids, rigids, special
Linear and parabolic (shape functions, vertex nodes)
Commercial codes
NASTRAN popular for linear dynamics (aero, auto)
ABAQUS and ANSYS popular for nonlinear
Superelements (substructures)
Simply a collection of finite elements
Special capabilities to reduce to boundary nodes
Assemble system by addition I/F nodes
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FEM in a Nutshell

HONORARY DEGREE IN FEM-OLOGY!
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FEM for the Test Engineer

FEM STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

FEM IS VERY POWERFUL FOR
WIDE ARRAY OF STRUCTURES
Regular structures
Fine mesh
Sturdy connections
Seam welds
Well-defined mass
Smooth distributed
Small lumped masses
Linear response
Small displacements General Dynamics
Control-Structure Interaction Testbed
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

FEM HAS MANY CHALLENGES
Mesh refinement
How many elements required?
Stress/strain gradients, mode shapes
Material properties
A-basis, B-basis, etc.
Composites
Dimensions
Tolerances, as-manufactured
Joints
Fasteners, bonds, spot welds
continued...
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

FEM HAS MANY CHALLENGES
Mass modeling
Accuracy of mass prop DB
Difficulty in test/weighing
Secondary structures
Avionics boxes, batteries
Wiring harnesses
Shock mounts
Nonlinearities
(large deformation, slop, yield, etc.)
Pilot error!
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

FEM ASSISTED BY ADVANCES
IN H/W AND S/W POWER
Computers
Moores law for CPU
Disk space, memory
Software
Sparse, iterative
Lanczos eigensolver
Domain decomposition
Pre- and post-processing
Increasing resolution
Closer to reality
Moravec, H., When Will Computer Hardware Match the Human Brain?
Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.transhumanist.com/volume1/moravec.htm
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FEM Strengths and Challenges

FEM CONTINUES TO IMPROVE
ABILITY TO SIMULATE REALITY
Model resolution
Local details
Some things still
very difficult
Joints
Expertise
Mesh size, etc.
FEM is not exact
Big models do not guarantee accurate models
Thats why testing is still required!
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FEM for the Test Engineer

PRETEST ANALYSIS
Develop
FEM
Pretest
Analysis
Test
Posttest
Correlation
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Pretest Analysis

MODAL SURVEY OFTEN PERFORMED
TO VERIFY FINITE ELEMENT MODEL
Must be confident that structure will survive
operating environment
Unrealistic to test flight structure to flight loads
Alternate procedure
Test structure under controlled conditions
Correlate model to match test results
Use test-correlated model to predict operating responses
Modal survey performed to verify analysis model
Reality check
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Pretest Analysis - TAM

TEST AND ANALYSIS DATA HAVE
DIFFERENT NUMBER OF DOF
Model sizes
FEM = 10,000-1,000,000 DOF
Test = 50-500 accelerometers
Compare test results to
analysis predictions


Need a common basis for
comparison
| | = M Ortho
T
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Pretest Analysis - TAM

TEST-ANALYSIS MODEL (TAM)
PROVIDES BASIS FOR COMPARISON
Test-analysis model (TAM)
Mathematical reduction of finite element model
Master DOF in TAM corresponds to accelerometer
Transformation (condensation)


Many methods to perform reduction transformation
Transformation method and sensor selection critical
for accurate TAM and test-analysis comparisons
ga gg
T
ga aa ga gg
T
ga aa
T M T M T K T K = =
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

GUYAN REDUCTION IS THE
INDUSTRY STANDARD METHOD
Robert Guyan, Rockwell, 1965
Pronounced Goo-yawn, not Gie-yan
Implemented in many commercial software codes
NASTRAN, I-DEAS, ANSYS, etc.
Start with static equations of motion



Assume forces at omitted DOF are negligible
)
`

=
)
`

a
o
a
o
aa ao
oa oo
P
P
U
U
K K
K K
0 P
o
=
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

GUYAN REDUCTION IS A
SIMPLE METHOD TO IMPLEMENT
Solve for motion at omitted DOF


Rewrite static equations of motion



Transformation matrix for Guyan reduction
a oa
1
oo o
U K K U

=
a
aa
oa
1
oo
a
o
U
I
K K
U
U
(

=
)
`

=

aa
oa
1
oo
Guyan
I
K K
T
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

TRANSFORMATION VECTORS
ESTIMATE MOTION AT OTHER DOF
-0.2
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1 2 3 4
Node ID
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

TRANSFORMATION VECTORS CAN
REDUCE OR EXPAND DATA
TAM
Display
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

DISPLAY MODEL RECOVERED USING
TRANSFORMATION VECTORS
-1.00
-0.75
-0.50
-0.25
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1 2 3 4
Node ID
E
n
h
a
n
c
e
d

D
i
s
p
l
a
y
-1.00
-0.75
-0.50
-0.25
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1 2 3 4
S
t
a
n
d
a
r
d

D
i
s
p
l
a
y
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

IRS REDUCTION ADDS
FIRST ORDER MASS CORRECTION
Guyan neglects mass effects at omitted DOF
IRS adds first order approximation of mass effects
(

+
=
aa
IRS Guyan
Guyan
I
G G
T
oa
1
oo Guyan
K K G

=
| |
aa
1
aa Guyan oo oa
1
oo IRS
K M G M M K G

+ =
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

DYNAMIC REDUCTION ALSO
ADDS MASS CORRECTION
Start with eigenvalue equation



Replace eigenvalue with constant value A



Equivalent to Guyan reduction if A = 0
i
a
o
aa ao
oa oo i
i
a
o
aa ao
oa oo
M M
M M
K K
K K
)
`

|
|
(

)
`

|
|
(

| | | |
(

A A
=

aa
oa oa
1
oo oo
d Re Dyn
I
M K M K
T
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

MODAL TAM BASED ON
FEM MODE SHAPES
Partition FEM mode shapes



Pseudo-inverse to form transformation matrix
o | =
o o
U
o | =
a a
U
(
(

| | | |
=

aa
T
a
1
a
T
a o
Modal
I
T
a al mod o
U T U =
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

EACH REDUCTION METHOD HAS
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Easy to use, efficient Limited accuracy
Guyan Works well if good A-set Bad if poor A-set
Widely accepted Unacceptable for high M/K
Better than Guyan Requires DMAP alter
IRS Errors if poor A-set
Better than Guyan Requires DMAP alter
Dynamic Choice of Lamda?
Limited experience
Exact within freq. range Requires DMAP alter
Modal Hybrid TAM option Sensitivity
Limited experience
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Pretest Analysis - TAM Transformation Methods

STANDARD PRACTICE FAVORS
GUYAN REDUCTION
Guyan reduction used most often
Easy to use and commercially available
Computationally efficient
Widely used and accepted
Good accuracy for many/most structures
Use other methods when Guyan is inadequate
Modal TAM very accurate but sensitive to FEM error
IRS has 1st order mass correction but can be unstable
Dynamic reduction seldom used (how to choose A)
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Pretest Analysis - Sensor Placement

SENSOR PLACEMENT IMPORTANT
FOR GOOD TAM AND TEST
Optimize TAM
Minimize reduction error
Optimize test
Get as much independent data as possible
Focus on uncertainties
High confidence areas need only modest instrumentation
More instrumentation near critical uncertain areas (joints)
Common sense and engineering judgement
General visualization of mode shapes
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Pretest Analysis - Sensor Placement

MANY ALGORITHMS FOR
SENSOR PLACEMENT
Kinetic energy
Retain DOF with large kinetic energy
Mass/stiffness ratio
Retain DOF with high mass/stiffness ratio
Iterated K.E. and M/K
Remove one DOF per iteration
Effective independence
Retain DOF that maximize observability of mode shapes
Genetic algorithm
Survival of the fittest!
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Pretest Analysis - Sensor Placement

SENSOR PLACEMENT ALGORITHM
CLOSELY LINKED TO TAM METHOD
Guyan or IRS reduction
Must retain DOF with large mass
Iterated K.E. or M/K
Mass-weighted effective independence
Modal or Hybrid reduction
Effective independence
Genetic algorithm offers best of all worlds
Examine tons of TAMs!
Seed generation from other methods
Cost function based on TAM method
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Pretest Analysis - Sensor Placement

PRETEST ANALYSIS ASSISTS
PLANNING AND TEST
Best estimate of modes
Frequencies, shapes
Accelerometer locations
Optimized by sensor placement
studies
TAM mass and stiffness
Real-time ortho and x-ortho
Frequency response functions
Dry runs/shakedown prior to test
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FEM for the Test Engineer

TEST CONSIDERATIONS
Develop
FEM
Pretest
Analysis
Test
Posttest
Correlation
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Test Considerations

PRETEST DATA ALLOWS
REAL-TIME CHECKS OF RESULTS
Traditional comparisons




What if test accuracy goals arent met?
Keep testing (different excitement levels, locations, types)
Stop testing (FEM may be incorrect!)
Decide based on test quality checks
Experienced test engineer extremely valuable!
test TAM
T
test
M ORTHO | | =
test TAM
T
TAM
M XORTHO | | =
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FEM for the Test Engineer

POSTTEST CORRELATION
Develop
FEM
Pretest
Analysis
Test
Posttest
Correlation
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Posttest Correlation

CORRELATION MUST BE FAST!
FEM almost always has some differences vs. test
Very limited opportunity to do correlation
After structural testing and data processing complete
Before operational use of model
First flight of airplane
Verification load cycle of spacecraft
Need methods that are fast!
Maximum insight
Accurate
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Posttest Correlation

NO UNIQUE SOLUTION FOR
POSTTEST CORRELATION
More unknowns than knowns
Knowns
Test data (FRF, frequencies, shapes at
test DOF, damping)
Measured global/subsystem weights
Unknowns
FEM stiffness and mass (FEM DOF)
No unique solution
Seek best reasonable solution
When you
have
eliminated
the
impossible,
whatever
remains,
however
improbable,
must be
the truth.
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Posttest Correlation

MANY CORRELATION METHODS
Trial-and-error
Stop doing this! It's (almost)
the new millenium!
Too slow for fast-paced projects
Not sufficiently insightful for
complex systems
FEM matrix updating
FEM property updating
Error localization
FEM
Test OK?
Done
Updates
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Posttest Correlation

MATRIX UPDATE METHODS
ADJUST FEM K AND M ELEMENTS
Objective
Identify changes to FEM K and M so that analysis
matches test
Baruch and Bar-Itzhack (1978, 1982)
Berman (1971, 1984)
Kabe (1985)
Kammer (1987)
Smith and Beattie (1991)
and many others
(
(
(
(

=
1 1 0 0
1 6 5 0
0 5 7 2
0 0 2 2
K
(
(
(
(

=
5 . 1 0 0 0
0 5 . 2 0 0
0 0 5 . 1 0
0 0 0 5 . 0
M
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Posttest Correlation

MATRIX UPDATE METHODS
HAVE LIMITATIONS
Lack of physical insight
What do changes in K, M coefficients mean?
Lack of physical plausibility
Baruch/Berman method doesn't enforce connectivity
Limitations for large problems
Great for small demo models, but ...
Smearing" caused by Guyan reduction/expansion
What if test article different than flight vehicle?
Requires very precise mode shapes (unrealistic)
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Posttest Correlation

PROPERTY UPDATE METHODS
ADJUST MATERIALS AND ELEMENTS
Objective
Identify changes to element and material
properties so that FEM matches test
Hasselman (1974)
Chen (1980)
Flanigan (1987, 1991)
Blelloch (1992)
Smith (1995)
and many others
* Calculate updates using
design sensitivity and optimization
FEM
Test OK?
Done
Updates*
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Posttest Correlation

COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE
FOR CORRELATION
SDRC/MTS
I-DEAS Correlation (MAC, ortho, x-ortho, mapping)
LMS
CADA LINK (parameter updating, Bayesian estimation)
MSC
SOL 200 design optimization (modes, FRF)
Dynamic Design Solutions (DDS)
FEMtools (follow-on to Systune)
Others (SSID, ITAP, etc.)
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Posttest Correlation

MODE SHAPE EXPANSION
FOR CORRELATION IMPROVEMENT
TAM
Display
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Posttest Correlation

SHAPE EXPANSION IS AN
ALTERNATIVE TO MATRIX REDUCTION
Expand test mode shapes to FEM DOF


Expansion and reduction give same results if same
matrices used
Dynamic expansion based on eigenvalue equation


Computationally intensive
But computers are getting faster all the time!
a ga g
U T U =
| || |
i
a oa
i
oa oo
i
oo
i
o
M K M K | = |
Quartus Engineering
Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
FEM for the Test Engineer

SUMMARY
FEM is a simple yet powerful method
Complex structures from simple building blocks
FEM must make many assumptions
Joints, tolerances, linearity, mass, etc.
Big models do not guarantee accuracy
Testing provides a valuable reality check
Within limits of test article, excitation levels, etc.
FEM can work closely with test for mutual benefit
Pretest analysis to optimize sensor locations
TAM for providing test-analysis comparison basis
Correlation and model updating for validated model
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Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
FEM PEOPLE REALLY ARE SMART!
And maybe test people are smart too!
Quartus Engineering
Copyright Quartus Engineering Incorporated, 2000.
FEM for the Test Engineer

RECOMMENDED READING
Finite element method
Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis, 3rd ed.; Cook,
Robert D./Plesha, Michael E./Malkus, David S.; John Wiley & Sons; 1989
Finite Element Procedures, Klaus-Jurgen Bathe; Prentice Hall; 1995
Correlation and model updating
Finite Element Model Updating in Structural Dynamics; M. I. Friswell,
J. E. Mottershead; Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1995.
Optimization
Numerical Optimization Techniques for Engineering Design, 3rd edition
(includes software); Garret N. Vanderplaats, Vanderplaats Research &
Development, Inc., 1999