• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.351-358
• /
• 2015

This paper presents an effective damage detection method using a meta model. A meta model is an approximation model that uses the relations between the design and response variables. It eliminates the need for repetitive analyses of computationally expensive models during the optimization process. In this study, a response surface model was employed as the meta model. The surface model was estimated using the correlation of the stiffness and natural frequencies of the structures. The locations and values of the damages were identified using a meta model-based damage detection method. Two numerical examples (a cantilever beam and jacket structure) were considered to verify the performance of the proposed method. As a result, the damages to the structures were accurately detected.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-22
• /
• 2020

The modal strain energy method is one of the efficient methods for detecting damage in the structures. Due to existing some limitations in real-world structures, sensors can only be located on a limited number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) of a structure. Therefore, the mode shape values in all DOFs of structures cannot be measured. In this paper, a modified modal strain energy based index (MMSEBI) is introduced to locate damaged elements of structures when a limited number of sensors are used. The proposed MMSEBI is based on the reconstruction of mode shapes using Improved Reduction System (IRS) method. Therefore, in the first step by employing IRS method, mode shapes in slave degrees of freedom are estimated by those of master degrees of freedom. In the second step, the proposed MMSEBI is used to located damage elements. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed method, two numerical examples are considered under different damage patterns considering the measurement noise. Moreover, the universal threshold based on statistical hypothesis testing principles is applied to damage index values. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed MMSEBI for the structural damage localization when comparing with the available damage index named MESBI. The results demonstrate that the presented method can be used as a practical strategy for structural damage identification, especially when a limited number of sensors are installed on the structure. Finally, the combination of MMSEBI and IRS method can provide a reliable tool to identify the location of damage accurately.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.63 no.6
• /
• pp.779-788
• /
• 2017

System identification and damage detection for structural health monitoring have received considerable attention. Various time domain analysis methodologies based on measured vibration data of structures have been proposed. Among them, recursive least-squares estimation of structural parameters which is also known as parametric Kalman filter (PKF) approach has been studied. However, the conventional PKF requires that all the external excitations (inputs) be available. On the other hand, structural uncertainties are inevitable for civil infrastructures, it is necessary to develop approaches for probabilistic damage detection of structures. In this paper, a parametric Kalman filter with unknown inputs (PKF-UI) is proposed for the simultaneous identification of structural parameters and the unmeasured external inputs. Analytical recursive formulations of the proposed PKF-UI are derived based on the conventional PKF. Two scenarios of linear observation equations and nonlinear observation equations are discussed, respectively. Such a straightforward derivation of PKF-UI is not available in the literature. Then, the proposed PKF-UI is utilized for probabilistic damage detection of structures by considering the uncertainties of structural parameters. Structural damage index and the damage probability are derived from the statistical values of the identified structural parameters of intact and damaged structure. Some numerical examples are used to validate the proposed method.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.173-191
• /
• 2010

Damage detection plays a very important role to the maintenance of bridge structures. Traditional damage detection methods are usually based on structural dynamic properties, which are acquired from pre-installed sensors on the bridge. This is not only time-consuming and costly, but also suffers from poor sensitivity to damage if only natural frequencies and mode shapes are concerned in a noisy environment. Recently, the idea of using the dynamic responses of a passing vehicle shows a convenient and economical way for damage detection of bridge structures. Inspired by this new idea and the well-established tap test in the field of non-destructive testing, this paper proposes a new method for obtaining the damage information through the acceleration of a passing vehicle enhanced by a tapping device. Since no finger-print is required of the intact structure, this method can be easily implemented in practice. The logistics of this method is illustrated by a vehicle-bridge interaction model, along with the sensitivity analysis presented in detail. The validity of the method is proved by some numerical examples, and remarks are given concerning the potential implementation of the method as well as the directions for future research.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.17 no.3_4
• /
• pp.331-346
• /
• 2004

A new sensor system is proposed for measuring damage indexes. The damage index is a physical value that is well correlated to a critical damage in a device or a structure. The mechanism proposed here utilizes elastic buckling of a thin wire and does not require any external power supply for memorizing the index. The mechanisms to detect peak strain, peak displacement, peak acceleration and cumulative deformation as examples of damage indexes are presented. Furthermore, passive and active wireless data retrieval mechanisms using electromagnetic induction are proposed. The passive wireless system is achieved by forming a closed LC circuit to oscillate at its natural frequency. The active wireless sensor can transmit the data much further than the passive system at the sacrifice of slightly complicated electric circuit for the sensor. For wireless data retrieval, no wire is needed for the sensor to supply electrical power. For the active system, electrical power is supplied to the sensor by radio waves emitted from the retrieval system. Thus, external power supply is only needed for the retrieval system when the retrieval becomes necessary. Theoretical and experimental studies to show excellent performance of the proposed sensor are presented. Finally, a prototype damage index sensor installed into a 7 storey base-isolated building is explained.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.3 no.5
• /
• pp.411-427
• /
• 1995

The most known continuum damage theories for brittle structures are suitable to model the degradation of the material due to the deformation process and the consequent initiation of a macro-crack. Nevertheless, they are not able to describe the propagation of the crack that leads, eventually, to the breakage of the structure into parts that undergo rigid body motion. This paper presents a theory, formulated from formal arguments of Continuum Mechanics, that may describe not only the degradation but also the fracture of elastic structures. The modeling of such a discontinuous phenomenon through a continuous theory is possible by taking a cohesion variable, related with the links between material points, as an additional degree of kinematical freedom. The possibilities of the proposed theory are discussed through examples.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.643-667
• /
• 2010

The classical flexibility difference method detects damage by observing the difference of conventional deflection flexibility matrices between pre- and post-damaged states of a structure. This method is not able to identify multiple damage scenarios, and its criteria to identify damage depend upon the boundary conditions of structures. The key point behind the inability and dependence is revealed in this study. A more feasible flexibility for damage detection, the Angle-between-String-and-Horizon (ASH) flexibility, is proposed. The physical meaning of the new flexibility is given, and synthesis of the new flexibility matrix by modal frequencies and translational mode shapes is formulated. The damage indicators are extracted from the difference of ASH flexibility matrices between the pre- and post-damaged structures. One feature of the ASH flexibility is that the components in the ASH flexibility matrix are associated with elements instead of Nodes or DOFs. Therefore, the damage indicators based on the ASH flexibility are mapped to structural elements directly, and thus they can pinpoint the damaged elements, which is appealing to damage detection for complex structures. In addition, the change in the ASH flexibility caused by damage is not affected by boundary conditions, which simplifies the criteria to identify damage. Moreover, the proposed method can determine relatively the damage severity. Because the proposed damage indicator of an element mainly reflects the deflection change within the element itself, which significantly reduces the influence of the damage in one element on the damage indicators of other damaged elements, the proposed method can identify multiple damage locations. The viability of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by numerical examples and experimental tests on a cantilever beam and a simply supported beam.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.7
• /
• pp.811-833
• /
• 2010

Vibration control and health monitoring of building structures have been actively investigated in recent years but treated separately according to the primary objective pursued. This paper presents a general approach in the time domain for integrating vibration control and health monitoring of a building structure to accommodate various types of control devices and on-line damage detection. The concept of the time-domain approach for integrated vibration control and health monitoring is first introduced. A parameter identification scheme is then developed to identify structural stiffness parameters and update the structural analytical model. Based on the updated analytical model, vibration control of the building using semi-active friction dampers against earthquake excitation is carried out. By assuming that the building suffers certain damage after extreme event or long service and by using the previously identified original structural parameters, a damage detection scheme is finally proposed and used for damage detection. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated through detailed numerical examples and extensive parameter studies.

• Computational Structural Engineering
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.303-313
• /
• 1997

Though many techniques for the damage assessment of structures have been studied recently, most of them can be only applied to simple structures. Therefore, practical damage assessment techniques that evaluate the damage location and the damage state for large structures need to be developed. In this study, a damage assessment technique using a neural network is developed, in which the bilevel damage assessment procedure is proposed to evaluate the damage of a large structure from the limited monitoring data. The procedure is as follows ; first, for the rational selection of damage critical members, the members that affect the probability of failure or unusual structural behavior are selected by sensitivity analysis. Secondly, the monitoring points and the number of sensors that are sensitive to the damage severity of the selected members are also selected through the sensitivity analysis with a proposed sensitivity measurement format. The validity and applicability of the developed technique are demonstrated by various examples, and it has been shown that the practical information on the damage state of the selected critical members can be assessed even though the limited monitoring data have been used.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.59-80
• /
• 2022

In the present study, the objective is to detect the structural damages using the responses obtained from the sensors at the optimal location under uncertainty conditions. Reducing the error rate in damage detection process due to responses' noise is an important goal in this study. In the proposed algorithm for optimal sensor placement, the noise of responses recorded from the sensors is initially reduced using the principal component analysis. Afterward, the optimal sensor placement is obtained by the damage detection equation based sensitivity analysis. The sensors are placed on degrees of freedom corresponding to the minimum error rate in structural damage detection through this procedure. The efficiency of the proposed method is studied on a truss bridge, a space dome, a double-layer grid as well as a three-story experimental frame structure and the results are compared. Moreover, the performance of the suggested method is compared with three other algorithms of Average Driving Point Residue (ADPR), Effective Independence (EI) method, and a mass weighting version of EI. In the examples, young's modulus, density, and cross-sectional areas of the elements are considered as uncertainty parameters. Ultimately, the results have demonstrated that the presented algorithm under uncertainty conditions represents a high accuracy to obtain the optimal sensor placement in the structures.