Relationship between local damage and structural dynamic behavior

Abstract

Damage in the structures alters the structural dynamic behavior. Damage generally occurs locally in the components of structures, and its effect often exhibits in the changes of both local and global characteristics of structures. Better understanding of this relationship helps to monitor and assess the condition of structures and develop dynamics-based structural health monitoring techniques. In this study, the relationship between the local damage and structural dynamic behavior is investigated. To validate the concept, an experiment of a three-dimensional (3-D) steel frame structure with different magnitudes of local damage is illustrated. The experimental results indicate that the change of global resonant response between the intact and damage structure is not obvious. The change of local resonant responses measured near the location of saw-cut crack damage is quite significant. The experimental study conducted indicates that the local resonant responses at the low order resonance can be used as an effective damage identification method to detect and quantify the local damage in the 3D frame structures.