Numerical-experimental correlation of a stiffened fuselage panel

The numerical and experimental activities performed for reaching an acceptable correlation level between numerical and experimental models are presented. Such activities belong to a wider research program addressed to the vibroacoustic control of a fuselage stiffened panel using both passive and active approach for the improvement of its dynamic behaviour toward the noise and vibration problem. Traditional techniques have been employed for the experimental modal analysis together with its modal parameters identification. Parallely a finite element model has been prepared and used for both a pre-test analysis and a post-test correlation. Finally a comparison of the experimental and numerical structural dynamic response has been evaluated and reported. The applied methodologies have been selected with the final goal of verifying how complex and difficult is to get results from them and if they can be easily transferred to more realistic structures. Such techniques are almost theoretically verified when dealing with academic tests, while they start loosing their 'exact' results when moving to more realistic structures. In general they are very useful in understanding the degree of correlation between numerical and experimental models and are able to define the required feeling with their structural behaviours. The results of this first part of the research program allowed us to continue the research using both an experimental and a numerical model. Depending on the expected answers, one can use the experimental model for absolute results and the numerical one if trend or differential results were necessary.