A Ranking Method for the Selection of the Interior Modes of Reduced Order Resonant System Models

Resonant system design and optimization is usually supported by finite element models. Large dimensional models are often needed to achieve the desired accuracy in the representation of the vibrational behaviour at the frequency of interest. Unfortunately, large dimensional models are frequently too cumbersome to be actually useful, mainly at the optimization stage. On the other hand, the choice of the most appropriate reduction strategy and dimension for a reduced-order model is generally left to designers’ experience. Having recognized the effectiveness and spreading of the Craig Bampton reduction technique, the aim of this paper is to propose a rigorous ranking method, called Interior Mode Ranking (IMR), for the selection of the interior normal modes of the full order model to be inherited by the reduced order one. The method is aimed at finding the set of interior modes of minimum dimensions which allows achieving a desired level of accuracy of the reduced order model at a frequency of interest. The method is here applied to a resonator widely employed in industry: an ultrasonic welding bar horn, which is usually designed to operate excited in resonance. The results achieved through the application of the IMR method are compared with those yielded by other ranking techniques available in literature in order to prove its effectiveness.