Experimental validation of a health monitoring method

Despite the recent proliferation of damage detection work, much of it has been of a theoretical or computational nature and experimentally validated studies remain the exception rather than the rule. The object of the current study is to validate the novelty detection method on a real structure, namely a Gnat aircraft wing. The analysis uses novelty detection based on transmissibility FRFs. The FRFs from normal condition are used to construct a novelty detector and the damage threshold for unambiguous detection is established. The important question of normal condition variability as a result of environmental changes is addressed.