Enhancing structural health monitoring of bridge beams through spectral moment analysis

Abstract

Investigating the occurrence of defects in structures is currently a major issue of significant interest. In this paper, we present experimental research findings on the relationship between the moments of the power spectrum and the presence of damage in bridge beam structures. The study is based on analysing the random oscillation signal of the structure under the effect of random displacement loads. The results demonstrate that the value of the spectral moment is a sensitive feature to abnormal changes inside the structure. As a result, the output obtained from our study suggests using the spectral moment parameter as a new characteristic quantity for monitoring changes in bridge structures. Compared to traditional quantities like deflection, natural frequency, and mode shape, the value of the spectral moment can be more accurately determined. In the future, the spectral moment value can be extended to evaluate different types of structures under complex load conditions.