Damage identification of a frame structure model based on the response variation depending on additional mass

Abstract

The structural health evaluation is performed by comparing the responses between the undamaged and damaged states. Because it is impractical to collect the response data at the intact state, it is important to establish the baseline data to be compared at measurement. The measured frequency response functions (FRFs) in the neighborhood of the first resonance frequency are transformed to the proper orthogonal mode (POM) corresponding to the first proper orthogonal value (POV). The POM data set at the first measurement on the damage-expected structure is taken as the baseline datum, and it is compared with another set extracted from the structure to attach a small mass on an element. The POM difference between two states is utilized as an index to detect damage. The FRF variation before and after a small mass attachment for the purpose of detecting the damage is investigated. The validity of the proposed method based on POM variation is illustrated in the damage detection of a two-dimensional frame structure model. It is shown that the damage region in the frame structure can be inferred by gradually narrowing from the global structure to the damage-expected element.