Strain Gauges Applied to the Lightweight Structures Modal Testing

Abstract

Dynamic characteristics of the structure have a significant effect on the performance of the structure. Modal test is a common method to obtain structural dynamic characteristics. However, due to the mass effect of the transducer, the measured results of lightweight structure are inaccurate. This paper proposes using strain gauges to test the mode of lightweight structures, and we take the cantilever beam as an example. The paper derived strain modal expressions. We use the strain gauges, the accelerometers and the finite element simulation to test the modal of the cantilever. To compare and analyze the experimental data, it illustrates that the strain modal test methods can measure the bending mode of the beam effectively.