A tutorial on a multi-mode identification procedure based on the complex-curve fitting method

Modal identification is a key step in modal analysis. It enables the researcher to extract modal parameters, such as natural frequency, amplitude, and damping from a given structure. There are a considerable number of techniques in the state of the art aiming to address this problem, where multi-mode approaches arise as an appealing choice due to their ability to deal with mode coupling. This tutorial paper focuses on the complex-curve fitting technique, originally conceived for an application distinct from modal analysis. It aims at guiding other researchers by providing a tutorial-like and in-depth analysis of this important method, associated with a nonlinear weighting procedure for improved precision. Additionally, this paper fills a gap on the original technique, which is limited to the ratio of two polynomials, by proposing an automatic parameter extraction technique. The original and improved methods are applied on both simulated and experimental data, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed changes. The proposed procedure is also compared with the rational fraction polynomial method.