Operational Modal Analysis of a Rotating Structure Subject to Random Excitation Using a Tracking Continuously Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer via an Improved Demodulation Method

A new operational modal analysis (OMA) method is developed for estimation of modal parameters (MPs) of a rotating structure (RS) subject to random excitation using a nonuniform rotating beam model, an image processing method, and an improved demodulation method. The solution to the governing equation of a nonuniform rotating beam is derived, which can be considered as the response of the beam measured by a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system. A recently developed tracking CSLDV system can track and scan the RS. The image processing method determines the angular position of the RS so that the tracking CSLDV system can sweep its laser spot along a time-varying path on it. The improved demodulation method obtains undamped mode shapes (UMSs) of the RS by multiplying its measured response by sinusoids whose frequencies are its damped natural frequencies (DNFs) that are obtained from the fast Fourier transform of the measured response. Experimental investigation of the OMA method using the tracking CSLDV system is conducted, and MPs of a rotating fan blade (RFB), including DNFs and UMSs, with different constant speeds and its instantaneous MPs with a non-constant speed are estimated. Estimated first DNFs and UMSs of the stationary fan blade and RFB are compared with those from the lifting method that was previously developed by the authors.

Operational modal analysis of a rotating structure subject to random excitation using a tracking continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer via an improved demodulation method

A new operational modal analysis (OMA) method that is based on a rigorous nonuniform rotating beam vibration theory and an image processing method is developed to estimate modal parameters (MPs) of a rotating structure (RS) under random excitation using an improved demodulation method. The solution to the governing equation of a nonuniform rotating beam is derived, which can be considered as the response of the beam measured by a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system. A recently developed tracking CSLDV system can track and scan the RS. The image processing method determines the angular position of the RS so that the tracking CSLDV system can sweep its laser spot along a time-varying scan path on it. The improved demodulation method obtains undamped mode shapes (UMSs) of the RS by multiplying its measured response by sinusoidal signals with its damped natural frequencies (DNFs) obtained from the fast Fourier transform of the measured response. Experimental investigation of the OMA method using the tracking CSLDV system is conducted, and MPs of a rotating fan blade (RFB), including DNFs and UMSs, with different constant speeds and its instantaneous MPs with a non-constant speed are estimated. Estimated first DNFs and UMSs of the stationary fan blade and RFB are compared with those from the lifting method that was previously developed by the authors.

In-Process Defect Detection for Additively Manufactured Metal Lattices

The internal lattice structures common to laser powder bed fusion parts pose significant challenges for x-ray computed tomography scans, which are the current default post-process inspection technique. In this work, we present an alternative in-process inspection technique that acquires a full-field ultrasonic response measurement for each layer of the build via ultrasonic excitation of the build plate and non-contact measurement with a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer. We implement a maximum a posteriori detection technique based on those ultrasonic response measurements that can detect malformed lattice elements by combining the information available from the measurements with the ideal part geometry as encoded in the part STL file. We demonstrate successful detection of extra sintered material in the part as well as lattice strut member breakage. Further development of this inspection method in laser powder bed fusion production environments will aide qualification of latticed parts with increased confidence.

Interrogating the health condition of rails using the narrowband Rayleigh waves emitted by an innovative design of non-contact laser transduction system

The article reports an innovative optical system that is designed to interrogate the health condition of macroscopically intact rail specimens by measuring its inherent nonlinearity using the narrowband Rayleigh waves. A line-arrayed pattern is developed through the optical system that generates narrowband Rayleigh waves with high power on the surface of the rail. As a result of lattice-anharmonicity, a second harmonic is produced in the wave that is sensed by a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer. The spectral amplitudes of the first and generated second harmonics are used to calculate the inherent nonlinearity using an amplitude-based nonlinearity equation. These measurements are carried out on the head, web, and foot of the rail. The performance of the non-contact experiment is also compared with that of a contact experiment carried out using wedge transducers. The experimentally evaluated nonlinearity of the rail steel is further compared with that obtained using a physics-based nonlinearity equation that relies on the higher-order elastic constants. Agreement of the results shows that the new optical system is effective in generating Rayleigh waves in rails and thereby measuring the inherent nonlinearity of the rail track. The estimation of inherent nonlinearity may help in diagnosing the health status of the macroscopically intact rail specimens in terms of their microstructural consistency and level of dissolved impurities before fixing them on a track.