An iterative rational fraction polynomial technique for modal identification

The rational fraction polynomial (RFP) modal identification procedure is a well known frequency domain fitting technique. To deal with a linear problem, the RFP procedure does not directly minimize the fitting error, i.e. the difference between the experimental and the analytical frequency response function, but a frequency weighted function of it: this causes bias in the modal parameter estimates. In this paper an iteration procedure is proposed which uses the output of the RFP technique as a starting estimate, and minimizes the true fitting error, expressed as a first order Taylor expansion of the identified parameters. Results are quite satisfactory: the fitting error is notably reduced after few iterations. Moreover, less computational modes with respect to the original RFP method are needed to obtain a good fit in a given frequency band.A first version of this paper was presented at 17th Int. Seminar on Modal Analysis, Leuven (Belgium), 23–25 September 1992, and preprinted in the Proceedings.