ABSTRACT
The finite element (FE) method is the most appropriate tool for numerical modeling in structural engineering today. This method can handle complex structural geometry, large complex assemblies of structural components, and is also able to perform different types of analysis on them. Even with the great advances in the field of structural modeling, an initial FE model is often a poor reflection of the actual structure, particularly in the field of structural dynamics. This inaccuracy arises because of a number of simplifying assumptions and idealizations that have to be made while constructing the FE model that generally depends on engineering judgment. Such inaccuracy in the FE model a priori is well known in the scientific community and is generally highlighted when predictions from the model are compared to the modal test results. Although a range of experimental data such as frequency response functions or time domain data may be used, modal data consisting of natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping ratios are the most common.
