High-order, closely-spaced modal parameter estimation using wavelet analysis

This study examines the wavelet transform for output-only system identification of ambient excited engineering structures with emphasis on its utilization for modal parameter estimation of high-order and closely-spaced modes. Sophisticated time-frequency resolution analysis has been carried out by employing the modified complex Morlet wavelet function for better adaption and flexibility of the time-frequency resolution to extract two closely-spaced frequencies. Furthermore, bandwidth refinement techniques such as a bandwidth resolution adaptation, a broadband filtering technique and a narrowband filtering one have been proposed in the study for the special treatments of high-order and closely-spaced modal parameter estimation. Ambient responses of a 5-story steel frame building have been used in the numerical example, using the proposed bandwidth refinement techniques, for estimating the modal parameters of the high-order and closely-spaced modes. The first five natural frequencies and damping ratios of the structure have been estimated; furthermore, the comparison among the various proposed bandwidth refinement techniques has also been examined.