Physical Interpretation of Principal Component Analysis for Structural Dynamics Through String Vibration

Principal component analysis (PCA) has been successfully applied in structural dynamics in recent years. However, it is usually used as a black-box, resulting in a gap between the application aspect and the physics essence of the problem. Thus a physical interpretation of PCA is necessary, along with further investigation, especially on the mechanism involved. This paper provides a physical meaning of the PCA by the theoretical analysis and...