Publications
Reconstructing forces from continuous connections using SWAT
During an environment, it is desirable to know the forces or inputs on the system of interest. With the inputs, one can directly use a finite element or experimental model to predict responses not measured in a field test. One can attempt to measure point forces using force gauges, however, these gauges are insufficient due to the inability to place a gauge at a forcing interface or to measure a force applied over an area. SWAT (Sum of weighted acceleration technique) is a method that uses mode shapes as a modal filter with measured accelerations and to solve the inverse problem and calculate the forces and moments on the system. This paper will examine an application where the use of a force gauge is impossible due to the external forces being applied over an area. The paper will calculate the sum of the forces and moments imparted on the system and will use a finite element model to check the plausibility of the calculated forces.