A new method for damage prognosis based on incomplete modal data via an evolutionary algorithm

Abstract

In this study, a new method is proposed to provide the location and the extent of structural damage by using incomplete modal data and an evolutionary algorithm. The proposed method uses modal data to formulate objective function. This data is acquired by the modal analysis of damaged structure applying the finite element method. The particle swarm evolutionary algorithm is employed to detect damage in structural elements by optimising an objective function. Three illustrative test examples with noise (noise 5 and 8%) and without noise in modal data were considered to evaluate performance of the proposed method. Moreover, the experimental data from the vibration test of a mass-stiffness system were used for verification of the proposed method. The obtained results indicated that this method can provide a reliable tool to accurately identify the structural damage.