Characteristic constraint modes for component mode synthesis

Abstract

In this paper, a technique is presented for improving the efficiency of the Craig-Bampton method of Component Mode Synthesis (CMS). An eigenanalysis is performed on the partitions of the CMS mass and stiffness matrices that correspond to the so-called constraint modes. The resultant eigenvectors are referred to as "characteristic constraint modes," since they represent the characteristic motion of the interface between the component structures. By truncating the characteristic constraint modes, a CMS model with a highly-reduced number of degrees of freedom may be obtained. An example of a cantilever plate is considered. It is shown that relatively few characteristic constraint modes are needed to yield accurate approximations of the lower natural frequencies. This method also provides physical insight into the mechanisms of vibration transmission in complex structures.