Modal Test Correlation Checklist
Review prompts for modal test correlation — frequency comparison, MAC, boundary conditions and test setup.
Purpose
For checking modal test correlation with FE results.
Correlation
- Are natural frequencies compared (typically within 5%)? — For the first 5–10 modes or frequency range of interest
- Are mode shapes compared using MAC (target > 0.8)? — Frequency alone is insufficient
- Is the test boundary condition consistent with the FE model? — Free-free vs constrained must match
- Are mode pairs correctly identified — not just "mode 1 vs mode 1"? — Mode ordering may differ
- Is measurement uncertainty accounted for in frequency and mode shape? — Support flexibility, sensor mass
- If the model has been updated, are the changes physically justified? — Not curve-fitting