Uncertainty in structural intensity measurement (review)

The purpose of the paper is to point out the main sources of errors for widespread experimental methods used in estimation of vibrational energy flows. This paper comprises the list of the main errors and ways of errors estimation using real data obtained during measurements. The errors analysis was carried out to show a methods sensitivity to various sources of errors. The main sources of uncertainty for the most popular and state-of-art techniques namely Direct Method, Strain Gauge Method, Complex Transmissibility Technique, Mobility Energy Flow and Finite Difference Technique are emphasized and reviewed. The practical examples of errors estimation with knowledge about structure materials, real experimental data and channels features are shown in the paper. The analysis can help researcher in determining the confidence level of measured data. The practical formulae and measurement set-ups are presented.