Decomposition of the initial gap for the assembly analysis of flexible structures

This article is devoted to a method for modeling the initial gap based on decomposition with the set of orthonormal functions specified for the joint area between parts. The constructing of the basis function set in based on a set of mode shapes of assembled parts. The considered method for modeling the initial gap is compared with another method for modeling the initial gap based on a Gaussian random field. The effectiveness of using these methods is studied for the case of a small sample, that is, a limited set of available measurements of the initial gap. The effectiveness of the methods is compared using a practical example of analyzing the quality of the assembly process for the wing to fuselage junction.