Damage identification using vibration monitoring techniques

Abstract

Damages can originate in engineering structures due to various detrimental and hostile conditions that leads to calamitous occurrences. Structural damage monitoring has been formally established in the past few decades and is critical for sustaining and upholding the integrity of structures in its designated service life. Real time condition monitoring and damage detection needs to be necessitated for the appropriate functioning of the concerned entity. Vibration intensive damage identification techniques have been reviewed for identifying the actual material properties such as stiffness and damping for assessing authentic health condition of machine elements as well as structures. Acceleration, velocity and displacement-based signals are measured and processed further using vibration monitoring hardware and software. The structural dynamic responses are studied and analyzed to be correlated to the presence of damages. This paper reviews the use of mode-shapes, modal strain energy, wavelet transform, waveform fractal dimension and finite element model updating in damage identification. The challenges encountered with each technique are discussed and the proposed methodology for overcoming them. Propositions have also been made with respect to the current scenario and downsides of respective technique. The paper will be helpful for practicing engineers and researchers working in structural damage identification and control related field for conceiving novel, reliable, effective, robust, and practical methods.