1

Last update: 2010 Ahmed Elgamal

Multi-Degree-Of-Freedom (MDOF)
Systems and Modal Analysis
Ahmed Elgamal
1
Ahmed Elgamal
SDOF Shear Building (rigid roof)
m = lumped mass = m
roof
+ 2 (1/2 m
col
)
3
c
3
c
col
h
24EI
h
12EI
2 2k k = = =
g
u m u c ku u m = + +
2
2
Ahmed Elgamal
2-Story Shear Building (2-DOF system)
m
1
m
2
k
1
k
2
u
1
u
2
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
col 2 2
m
2
1
2 roof m m
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
col 1 1
m
2
1
4 floor m m
col2 2
2k k =
col1 1
2k k =
g 2 1 2 2 2 2
u m ) u (u k u m = +
( )
g
2
1
2
1
2 2
2 2 1
2
1
2
1
u
m
m
u
u
k k
k k k
u
u
m 0
0 m



(

=
(

+
+
(

g 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1
u m u k ) u (u k u m = + +
g
u 1 m u k u m = +
or,
where 1 or 1 is the Identity Matrix
g
u m1 ku u m = +
3
Ahmed Elgamal
m
1
m
3
k
1
k
2
u
1
u
2
u
3
k
3
m
2
g 3 2 3 3 3 3
u m ) u (u k u m = +
g 2 1 2 2 3 2 3 2 2
u m ) u (u k ) u (u k u m = + +
g 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1
u m u k ) u (u k u m = + +
( )
( )
g
3
2
1
3
2
1
3 3
3 3 2 2
2 2 1
3
2
1
3
2
1
u
m
m
m
u
u
u
k k 0
k k k k
0 k k k
u
u
u
m 0 0
0 m 0
0 0 m




(
(
(

=
(
(
(

(
(
(

+
+
+
(
(
(

(
(
(

3-Story Shear Building (3-DOF system)

4
3
Ahmed Elgamal
For a N-DOF system,
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

n
m
2
1
m
m
m
m
( )
( )
( )
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

+
+
+ +
n n
n
1 m 1 m m m
3 3 2 2
2 2 1
k k 0 0 0
k |
0 |
0 k - k k k - 0 0
|
|
0
0
0 0 k k k k
0 0 k - k k
= m
= k
5
Ahmed Elgamal
Equation of motion for a N-DOF system,
+
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

n
m
2
1
n
k
2
1
u
|
|
u
|
|
|
|
u
u
m
m
m
m



( )
( )
( )
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

+
+
+ +
n
m
2
1
n n
n
1 m 1 m m m
3 3 2 2
2 2 1
u
|
|
u
|
|
|
|
u
u
k k 0 0 0
k |
0 |
0 k - k k k - 0 0
|
|
0
0
0 0 k k k k
0 0 k - k k
g
n
m
2
1
u
m
|
|
m
|
|
|
|
m
m

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

=
with initial conditions:
g
u m1 ku u c u m = + +
u u =
u u =
(t=0)
(t=0)
or (with damping included):
6
4
Natural Frequencies of a N-DOF system
Similar to the SDOF system, MDOF systems have natural frequencies. A 2-DOF
has 2 natural frequencies e
1
and e
2
, and a n-DOF system has natural frequencies
e
1
, e
2
, , e
n
Similar to the SDOF, free vibration involves the system response in its
natural frequencies. The corresponding Free Vibration Equation is (with
no damping):
0 ku u m = +
In free vibration, the system will oscillate in a steady-state harmonic
fashion, such that:
u u
2
=
( ) ( ) t cos b t sin a u + = e.g. gives u u
2
- =
7
Ahmed Elgamal
substituting for u , we get:
( ) 0 = + u k m -
2

or
( ) 0 = u m - k
2

Equation 1
The above equation represents a classicproblem in
Math/Physics, known as the Eigen-valueproblem.
The trivial solution of this problem is u = 0 (i.e., nothing is
happening, and the system is at rest).
8
5
Ahmed Elgamal
For a non-trivial solution (which will allow for computing the
natural frequencies during free vibration), the determinant of
0 m - k =
2
0 m - k =
or
2
= where
For a 2-DOF system for instance (see next page), the
above determinant calculation will result in a quadratic
equation in the unknown term . If this quadratic equation
is solved (by hand), two roots are found (
1
and
2
), which
define e
1
and e
2
(the natural resonant frequencies of this
2-DOF system).
( ) m - k
2

must be equal to zero such that:

9
Ahmed Elgamal
2-Story Shear Building (2-DOF system)
m
1
m
2
k
1
k
2
u
1
u
2 ( )
g
2
1
2
1
2 2
2 2 1
2
1
2
1
u
m
m
u
u
k k
k k k
u
u
m 0
0 m



(

=
(

+
+
(

( )
(

=
(

+
0
0
u
u
m k k
k m k k
2
1
2 2 2
2 1 2 1

( ) 0 = u m - k
( )
0
m k k
k m k k
2 2 2
2 1 2 1
=

+

( ) 0 ) k )( k ( ) m k )( m k k
2 2 2 2 1 2 1
( = +
0 ) k k ( )) k k ( m k m (( ) m m (
2 1 2 1 2 2 1
2
2 1
= + + +
0
2
= + + c b a
a
ac b b
2
4
=
2
2
1

Solve for the

1
and
2
using the standard approach
(

Z Y
X W
Determinant = WZ-XY
Note: For
Set Determinant = 0:
or,
10
6
Ahmed Elgamal
For a general N-DOF system:
Matlab or similar computer program can be used to solve the
determinant equation (of order equal to the NDOF system), defining
NDOF roots or NDOF natural frequencies
e
1
, e
2
,, e
NDOF
Note:
These resonant (natural) frequencies e
1
, e
2
, are conventionally
ordered lowest to highest (e.g., e
1
= 8 radians, e
2
= 14 radians, and
so forth).
11
Ahmed Elgamal
Mode Shapes
Steady State vibration at any of the resonant frequencies e
n
takes place in the form of a special oscillatory shape, know
as the corresponding mode shape |
n
To define these mode shapes (one for each identified e
n
), go
ahead and substitute the value of e
n
for e in Eq. 1
and solve for the vector u which will define the
corresponding mode shape |
n
:
( ) 0 m - k =
n n
|
2

( ) 0 = u m - k
2

12
7
Ahmed Elgamal
2-DOF system ( 2 mode shapes |
1
and |
2
)
u
1
u
2
m
2
m
1
11

21

|
12
|
22
u
1
u
2
m
2
m
1
11

21

|
1
|
2
Note: Any mode shape |
n
only defines relative amplitudes of motion of the
different degrees of freedom in the MDOF system. For instance, if you are solving
a 2-DOF system, you might end up with something like (when solving for the first
mode):
|
11
- 2|
21
= 0, only defining a ratio between amplitudes of |
11
and |
21
(for instance, if |
11
= 1, then |
21
= 0.5, or if you choose |
11
= 2, then |
21
= 1, and so
forth).
Generally, go ahead and make |
mn
= 1 (where m is top floor Dof and n is mode
shape number) and solve for the other degrees of freedom in the vector |
n
(

=
21
11
1
|
|
|
(

=
22
12
2
|
|
|
13
Ahmed Elgamal
Note: When you substitute any of the e
n
values into Eq. 1, the determinant of the matrix (k-
e
n
2
m) automatically becomes = 0, since this e
n
is a root of the determinant equation (i.e.,
the matrix becomes singular).
The determinant being zero is a necessary condition for obtaining a vector u (the mode shape
|
n
) that is not equal to zero (i.e., a solution other than the trivial solution of u = 0.
2-Story shear building
(one node in mode 2)
4-story shear building (4-DOF system)
Note one node in mode 2, two in mode 3, and 3 in mode 4
3-Story Shear Building
node
node
node
node
Sample Mode shape Configurations
14
8
Ahmed Elgamal
n n
T
n
M = m
n
2
n n n
T
n
M K = = k
1.0
n
T
n
= m
2
n n
T
n
= k
Properties of |
n
b) For any mode |
n ,
modal mass M
n
is defined by:
d) If then
c) For any mode |
n ,
modal stiffness K
n
is defined by:
To do that, multiply each component of mode |
n
by
n
M
1
(not )
0
r
T
n r
T
n
= = m k 0
r
T
n
=
a) Mode shapes are orthogonal such that (for any n=r)
15
Ahmed Elgamal
Solution of by Mode superposition
Example of a 2-DOF system ( 2 mode shapes and )
1

u
1
u
2
m
2
m
1
11

21

|
22
|
12
16
9
To benefit from the mode orthogonality property, multiply by u
T
to get:
Substituting
Results in
Ahmed Elgamal
q u =
(

=
(

+
(

=
(

2
1
22 21
12 11
2
22
12
1
21
11
2
1
q
q
q q
u
u

| | q q = =
2 1

in the equation of motion
g
u m1 ku u m = +
g
u m1 k q m = + q
g
u m1 k q m
T T T
= + q
g
T
2
T
1
2
1
2
T
2 1
T
2
2
T
1 1
T
1
2
1
2
T
2 1
T
2
2
T
1 1
T
1
u
q
q
q
q



(

=
(

+
(

m1
m1
k k
k k
m m
m m

or
Modal Analysis (Solution of MDOF equation of motion by Mode Superposition)
The solution u will be represented by a summation of the mode shapes |
n
, each
multiplied by a scaling factor q
n
(known as the generalized coordinate) . For instance,
for the 2-DOF system:
In the above, u is known as the modal matrix. As such, changes in the displaced shape
of the structure u with time will be captured by the time histories of the vector q
u =
17
Ahmed Elgamal
Due to the orthogonality property of mode shapes (see previous slide), the
matrix equation becomes un-coupledand we get:
g 2 2
2
2 2 2 2
g 1 1
2
1 1 1 1
u L q M q M
u L q M q M


= +
= +

or,
g
2
2
2
2
2 2
g
1
1
1
2
1 1
u
M
L
q q
u
M
L
q q


= +
= +

The terms L
1
/M
1
and L
2
/M
2
are known as modal participation factors. These terms
control the influence of on the modal response. You may notice that (if both modes
are normalized to 1.0 at roof level for example) L
1
/M
1
> L
2
/M
2
since |
11
and |
21
are
of the same sign while |
12
and |
22
are of opposite signs. Therefore, the first mode is
likely to play a more prominent role in the overall response (frequency content of the
input ground motion also affects this issue).
g
u

=
=
NDOF
1 j

2
ji j i
m M

=
=
NDOF
1 j

ji j i
m L For a diagonal mass matrix:
u
1
u
2
m
2
m
1
11

21

|
12
|
22
u
1
u
2
m
2
m
1
11

21

|
1
|
2
18
10
Ahmed Elgamal
Note that the original coupled matrix Eq. of motion, has now become
a set of un-coupledequations. You can solve each one separately (as
a SDOF system), and compute histories of q
1
and q
2
and their time
derivatives. To compute the system response, plug the q vector back
into Equation 2 and get the u vector
(the same for the time derivatives to get relative velocity and
acceleration).
The beauty here is that there is no matrix operations involved, since
the matrix equation of motion has become a set of un-coupled
equation, each including only one generalized coordinate q
n
.
q u =
19
Ahmed Elgamal
Now, you can add any modal damping you wish (which is
another big plus, since you control the damping in each mode
individually). If you choose = 0.02 or 0.05, the equations
become:
Damping in a Modal Solution
i

g
i
i
i
2
i i i i i
u
M
L
q q 2 q = + +
, i = 1, 2, NDOF
OK, go ahead now and solve for q
i
(t) in the above uncoupled equations
(using a SDOF-type program), and the final solution is obtained from:
q u =
q u =
q u =
g
t
u 1 u u + =
20
11
Ahmed Elgamal
| || | q q u = =
(

(
(
(

=
(
(
(

+
(
(
(

=
(
(
(

=
2 1
2
1
32
22
31
21
12 11
2
32
22
12
1
31
21
11
3
2
1
q
q
q q
u
u
u

Modal Analysis (3-DOF system)

The solution u will be represented by a summation of the mode shapes |
n
, each
multiplied by a scaling factor q
n
(known as the generalized coordinate) . For instance,
for the 3-DOF system:
In the above, u is known as the modal matrix. As such, changes in the displaced shape
of the structure u with time will be captured by the time histories of the vector q
Note: If a two mode solution is sought, the system above becomes:
| || | q q u = =
(
(
(

(
(
(

=
(
(
(

+
(
(
(

+
(
(
(

=
(
(
(

=
3 2 1
3
2
1
33 32 31
23 22 21
13 12 11
3
33
23
13
2
32
22
12
1
31
21
11
3
2
1
q
q
q
q q q
u
u
u

| |
1 1 1
31
21
11
3
2
1
q q
u
u
u
=
(
(
(

=
(
(
(

u
Note: If a single (1
st
or fundamental) mode solution is sought, the system above
becomes:
21
Ahmed Elgamal
Multi-Degree-Of-Freedom (MDOF) Response Spectrum Procedure
1. Once you have generalized coordinates and uncoupled equations, use response
spectrum to get maximum values of response (r
i
)
max
for each mode separately.
Calculate expected max response ( ) using
r
( )

=
2
max i max
r r
root sum
square formula
where i = 1, 2, N degrees of freedom of interest (maybe first 4 modes at most) and
r is any quantity of interest such as |u
max
| or SD
(note that summing the maxima from each mode directly is typically too
conservative and is therefore not popular; because the maxima occur at different
time instants during the earthquake excitation phase)
See A. Chopra Dynamics of Structures for improved formulae to estimate .
max
r
22
12
Ahmed Elgamal
Response Spectrum Modal Responses
Max relative displacement |u
n
| or |u
jn
| (j
th
floor, n
th
mode)
jn n d
n
n
jn
S
M
L
u =
(S
dn
is S
d
evaluated at frequency or period T
n
)
n

Estimate of maximum floor displacement

=
=
M
1 n
2
jn j
u u (M = number of modes of interest)
Maximum Equivalent static force f
n
or f
jn
(j
th
floor, n
th
mode)
jn j n a
n
n
jn
m S
M
L
f =
23
Ahmed Elgamal
Therefore, modal base shear V
0n
and moment M
0n

=
=
N
1 j
jn 0n
f V
# of floors
base

=
=
N
1 j
j jn 0n
d f M
where d
j
= Distance from floor j to base
Estimate of maximum base shear and moment:

=
=
M
1 n
2
0n 0
V V

=
=
M
1 n
2
0n 0
M M
24
13
Ahmed Elgamal
Damping Matrix for MDOF Systems
Mass-proportional damping
c = a
o
m
Stiffness-proportional damping
c = a
1
k
Classical damping (Rayleigh damping)
Stiffness proportional damping appeals to intuition
because it generates damping based on story
deformations. However, mass proportional damping may
be needed as will be shown below.
g
u m1 ku u c u m = + +
k m c
1 0
a a + =
25
In any modal equation, we have
where,
Therefore, a
o
can be specified to obtain any desired ,
n
for
a given mode n such that C
n
= a
0
M
n
or
(e.g. at e
1
= 2t radians/s, ,
1
= .05) find a
0
Ahmed Elgamal
0 q K q C q M
n n n n n n
= + +
n n n n
M 2 C =
n 0 n n n
M a M 2 =
n n 0
2 a =
Mass-proportional damping: c = a
o
m
Defining a
0
to obtain a desired modal damping ,
n
in mode n
26
14
Ahmed Elgamal
With a
0
defined by a
0
= 2 ,
n
e
n
, this form of mass proportional
damping will change with frequency according to , = a
0
/ 2e as
shown in the figure below.
o
2
a
,

=
,
n

m c
o
a
=
1

o
2
a
=
n

m c
o
a
=
1

27
In any modal equation, we have
where, and
Therefore, a
o
can be specified to obtain any desired
n
for
a given mode n such that C
n
= a
1
K
n
, or:
or
(e.g. at e
1
= 2t radians/s, ,
1
= .05) find a
1
Ahmed Elgamal
0 q K q C q M
n n n n n n
= + +
n
2
n n
M K =
n n n n
M 2 C =
n 1 n
M a M
2
n n
2 =
n n n 1
2 a / =
Stiffness-proportional damping: c = a
1
k
Defining a
1
to obtain a desired modal damping ,
n
28
15
Ahmed Elgamal
With a
1
defined by a
1
= 2 ,
n
/ e
n
, this form of stiffness proportional
damping will change with frequency according to , = a
1
e / 2 as shown
in the figure below (damping increases linearly with frequency.
k c
1
a
=
2
a
,
1

=
,

29
Physically, we often observe (in first approximation) a nearly equal
value of damping for the first few modes of structural response
(e.g., first 1- 4 modes or so), and we want to model that. Therefore,
we use (Classical or Rayleigh damping):
Now we choose damping ratios ,
i
and ,
j
for two modes (natural
frequencies e
i
and e
j
) and solve for the coefficients a
0
and a
1
(two
equations in two unknowns).
Ahmed Elgamal
k m c
1 0
a a + =
n 1 n 0 n
M a M a M
2
n n
2 + =
n
n
2
n
2 / ) a a (
1 0
+ =
n
) 2 / a ( ) 2 / a (
1 0 n n
+ =
n
30
16
Ahmed Elgamal
,

Frequency range
of interest
i
j

e
1
for example 2
nd
or , 3
rd
resonance for example
Combined
Stiffness-proportional damping
Mass-proportional damping
nearly uniform damping
k c
1
a =
m c
0
a =
k m c
1 0
a a + =
Variation of Classical (Rayleigh) Damping with Frequency
Damping defined by , = (a
0
/2e)+(a
1
e/2) results in the variation shown by the
combined curve below, which has the desirable feature of being somewhat uniform
within a frequency range of interest (say 1 Hz to 7 Hz or 2t to 14t in radians/s).
31
Notes
1) For a choice of ,
i
= ,
j
= , same damping ratio in the
two modes, we get
,
2) Classical damping and is attractive because of
combination of mass and stiffness, allowing the no-
damping free-vibration mode shapes to un-couple the
matrix equation of motion.
Ahmed Elgamal
j i
j i
0
2
a


+
=
j i
1
2
a
+
=
32
17
Ahmed Elgamal
Caughey damping
The above procedure was generalized by Caughey to allow for more
control over damping in the specified modes of interest (i.e. to be
able to specify , for more than 2 modes i and j)
In this generalization, you can stay within the scope of classical
damping by using
| |

=
1 N
0 i
i
1
i
a k m m c
to find coefficients to match ,
i
modal damping ratios, see for
instance Dynamics of Structures by A. Chopra.
i
a
33
Ahmed Elgamal
Disadvantages:
1. c can become a full matrix instead of being a banded
matrix (if mand k are banded) as with c = a
0
m + a
1
k
2. You must check to ensure that you dont end up with a
negative ,i in some mode where you have not specifically
specified damping (because damping variation with
frequency might display sharp oscillations).
In summary, c = a
0
m+ a
1
k is the usual choice at present
despite the limitations discussed above.
34