Strain/displacement field reconstruction and load identification of bracket arm structure of high-speed maglev train based on superposition conversion algorithm

Abstract

The bracket arm structure, subjected to long-term vertical levitation and transversal guidance forces, is a key load-bearing component of high-speed maglev trains. It is crucial to monitor strain, displacement, and load in real time to evaluate structural health. However, it is almost impossible to measure directly at the service site of trains due to the intricacy of the bracket arm structure and the constrained installation area. Hence, it is an effective and feasible approach to reconstruct the strain/displacement field using a limited amount of strain information from FBG sensors. In order to reconstruct the strain/displacement field and identify the load on complicated structures, a load–strain/displacement superposition conversion algorithm is proposed in this paper. The modal coordinate and the mode-shape matrix are swapped out for the load weight and the load–strain/displacement matrix, respectively. Thus, it gets around the difficulty of choosing the mode order in traditional modal theory. In addition, the algorithm can achieve full-field reconstruction of both strain and displacement by measuring only part of the nodal strain response, reducing the redundancy of the traditional algorithm. Finally, numerical simulations and experimental tests were carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed method for field reconstruction and load identification.