Damage Detection at Welded Joint of Two-Dimensional Plane Model

Damage detection algorithms based on a one-dimensional beam model can detect damage within a beam span caused by flexure only but cannot detect damage at a joint with prescribed boundary conditions or at the middle part of a beam section where the neutral axis is located. Considering the damage at a welded joint of beam elements in steel structures and modeling the damage with twodimensional plane elements, this study presents a new approach to detecting damage in the depth direction of the joint and beam section. Three damage scenarios at the upper, middle, and lower parts of a welded joint of a rectangular symmetric section are investigated. The damage is detected by evaluating the difference in the receptance magnitude between the undamaged and damaged states. This study also investigates the effect of measurement locations and noise on the capability of the method in detecting damage. The numerical results show the validity of the proposed method in detecting damage at the beam's welded joint.