Shaker Testing Considerations

This chapter discusses some of the more practical issues and experiences of shaker testing in experimental modal analysis with single and multiple shakers. The shaker and amplifier form a set of hardware that is typically used for shaker excitation testing. In setting up a shaker test, typically the shaker and quill are set up first, with the quill extended to the desired length and the force gage or impedance head attached to the end of the quill. Shaker excitations are often utilized for the development of high quality frequency response functions for use in any structural dynamic modeling scenario. There are a variety of test situations that have an effect on the adequacy of the measurements obtained. Issues related to stingers, impedance transducers, force level, reciprocity, single excitation and multiple excitation are a few of the critical areas. The chapter also addresses measurements and considerations in each of these areas.