Physical and Virtual Implementation of Closed-loop Designs for Model Updating

A recently proposed virtual implementation of output feed-back based on signal processing eliminates the practical overhead associated with physical operation in closed loop. Additionally, the virtual implementation facilitates realization of multiple closed-loop systems from a single test in open loop, allows for complex gains, and removes the constraint of closed-loop stability. Care must, however, be exercised in the design of the closed-loop systems, as the errors in these are governed by the intrinsic approximations in the open-loop identification. The present paper offers an examination of this item when the closed-loop systems are designed for parameter estimation in updating of numerical models of structural systems. The differences between physical realization and the proposed virtual implementation are discussed, and the pivotal points outlined are demonstrated in the context of a numerical examination with a structural system.