Modal decomposition method for stationary response of non-classically damped systems

The stationary response of multi-degree-of-freedom non-classically damped linear systems subjected to stationary input excitation is studied. A modal decomposition procedure based on the complex eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the system is used to derive general expressions for the spectral moments of response. These expressions are in terms of cross-modal spectral moments and explicitly account for the correlation between modal responses; thus, they are applicable to structures characterized with significant non-classical damping as well as structures with closely spaced frequencies. Closed form solutions are presented for the important case of response to white-noise input. Various quantities of response of general engineering interest can be obtained in terms of these spectral moments. These include mean zero-crossing rate and mean, variance and distribution of peak response over a specified duration. Examples point out several instances where non-classical damping effects become significant and illustrate the marked improvement of the results of this study over conventional analysis based on classical damping approximations.