The goal of modal analysis in structural mechanics is to determine the natural mode shapes and

frequencies of an object or structure during free vibration. It is common to use thefinite element
method (FEM) to perform this analysis because, like other calculations using the FEM, the object
being analyzed can have arbitrary shape and the results of the calculations are acceptable. The
types of equations which arise from modal analysis are those seen in eigensystems. The physical
interpretation of the eigenvalues andeigenvectors which come from solving the system are that they
represent the frequencies and corresponding mode shapes. Sometimes, the only desired modes are
the lowest frequencies because they can be the most prominent modes at which the object will
vibrate, dominating all the higher frequency modes.
It is also possible to test a physical object to determine its natural frequencies and mode shapes.
This is called an Experimental Modal Analysis. The results of the physical test can be used to
calibrate a finite element model to determine if the underlying assumptions made were correct (for
example, correct material properties and boundary conditions were used).
Contents
[hide]
1 FEA eigensystems
o 1.1 Comparison to linear algebra
2 After FEA eigensystems
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
FEA eigensystems[edit]
For the most basic problem involving a linear elastic material which obeys Hooke's Law,
the matrix equations take the form of a dynamic three-dimensional spring mass system. The
generalized equation of motion is given as:
[1]


where is the mass matrix, is the 2nd time derivative of the displacement (i.e., the
acceleration), is the velocity, is a damping matrix, is the stiffness matrix, and is
the force vector. The general problem, with nonzero damping, is a quadratic eigenvalue
problem. However, for vibrational modal analysis, the damping is generally ignored, leaving only
the 1st and 3rd terms on the left hand side:

This is the general form of the eigensystem encountered in structural engineering using
the FEM. To represent the free-vibration solutions of the structure harmonic motion is
assumed,
[2]
so that is taken to equal , where is an eigenvalue (with units of
reciprocal time squared, e.g., ), and the equation reduces to:
[3]


In contrast, the equation for static problems is:

which is expected when all terms having a time derivative are set to zero.
Comparison to linear algebra[edit]
In linear algebra, it is more common to see the standard form of an eigensystem
which is expressed as:

Both equations can be seen as the same because if the general equation is
multiplied through by the inverse of the mass, , it will take the form of
the latter.
[4]
Because the lower modes are desired, solving the system more
likely involves the equivalent of multiplying through by the inverse of the
stiffness, , a process called inverse iteration.
[5]
When this is done, the
resulting eigenvalues, , relate to that of the original by:

but the eigenvectors are the same.