System identification of energy dissipation in a mechanical model undergoing high velocities: An indirect use of perpetual points

Energy dissipation is often the most challenging component of system identification in the modeling of dynamical behavior in mechanical systems. Even for a relatively simple single-degree-of-freedom system such as the rigid-arm pendulum, it can be difficult to choose the form of the best damping model, as well as the subsequent challenge of estimating the appropriate parameters, especially for a model that accurately captures the nature of energy dissipation over a wide range of operational conditions. This paper specifically focuses on a mechanical system in which subtle changes can be made to the system with a view to isolating and modeling energy dissipation. The approach described in this paper was developed as a by-product of experimentally investigating perpetual points. It is shown that certain features of high-velocity, spinning motion lends itself to greater fidelity in the data-fitting process and thus added confidence in choosing the most accurate energy dissipation model with the most appropriate parameters.