Damage Detection of A Health Monitoring Benchmark Building Using Hilbert-Huang Spectral Analysis*

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a new approach based on the Hilbert–Huang spectral analysis applied to the damage identification and assessment of the benchmark structure. In this approach, the cross-correlation functions of the measured floor acceleration responses are first decomposed into different modal components using the empirical mode decomposition method and band-pass filters. Then, the Hilbert transform is applied to each modal component to obtain the time-dependent (instantaneous) phase angles, frequencies, and amplitudes. All the natural frequencies and damping ratios can be identified using only a single measurement. When the acceleration responses at all floors are measured, the mode shapes, and the stiffness, and damping matrices can be identified using the proposed approach. Based on a comparison of the stiffness of each storey unit prior to and after damage, the damage locations, and severities can be identified. The chapter finally presents the simulation results for the damage patterns in the weakest direction of the benchmark structure using a 4-DOF linear shear building. The proposed approach is shown to be quite effective for the system identification and damage detection of structural health monitoring.