Effect of transducer mass on thin plate vibration

Transducer attached to a structure during vibration testing is a direct addition of mass especially when the structure itself is relatively light. This paper present result from a study on the effect of transducer mass on thin plate vibration. A rectangular thin plate of mild steel was used as the test structure. The influence of the transducer mass on the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the thin plate were investigated. Numerical analysis and experimental modal analysis were conducted on the test structure to obtain the natural frequencies and mode shapes for the first 3000 Hz. The numerical analysis was conducted using MSC Nastran finite element analysis software. Normal Modes Analysis and impact testing were conducted to obtain the natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes of the thin plate. The resulting natural frequencies were tabulated and mode shapes comparisons from the simulations are presented in contour plots.