Frequency domain analysis of nonlinear systems driven by multiharmonic signals

New insights on the frequency-domain output properties of nonlinear systems driven by multiharmonic signals will be discussed in this paper. These are based on a detailed analysis of the mechanisms at work on the generation of a class of nonlinear distortions, termed harmonic components. This leads to the derivation of formulae to calculate the number of harmonic components generated by any order of nonlinearity at the excitation frequencies during frequency response function measurements. Based on these formulae the classification of nonlinear distortions in harmonic and interharmonic components is compared against other methodologies on the classification of nonlinear distortions.