Optimal Procedures for Testing and Identification in Mechanical Engineering

Almost all advanced engineering research and development is based on complex models and computer simulations. This is an important facet of “virtual prototyping”, which is a major focus of industry for today and the future. A main problem is to verify that the models are reliable. This is most often done using experiments on prototypes or on the real system, i.e. by system identification. The theory of system identification is rather very well developed for linear dynamical systems, but when it comes to more complex dynamical systems much less is known. Model building is still a very difficult task, and in some sense art, which needs strong expertise in the application area.
The aim of the present project – OPTIMech – is to optimise testing procedures and identification/modelling techniques in the field of mechanical engineering.