Statistical Validation of Structural Dynamics Models

There is an increasing reliance in the engineering community on the use of mathematical models to characterize physical system behavior. This is happening even though mathematical models rarely simulate real system behavior perfectly. Due to this reliance, we require objective, well-founded mathematical techniques for model validation. This paper develops a formal approach to the validation of mathematical models of structural dynamics systems. It uses a probabilistic/statistical approach to the characterization of an important measure of behavior of dynamic systems subjected to random excitations, and seeks to validate a mathematical model in a statistical sense. An example is presented.