System Identification Methods for Fault Detection and Diagnosis

Faults refer to any unexpected changes or modifications of existing structures resulting from extreme loads or other abnormal loading and environmental conditions. Such faults may effect the normal operation and are often cumulative in causing damage in these structures. Therefore, it is necessary and desirable to (1) detect faults at an early stage, (2) know the location of these faults, and (3) quantify and assess the effect of these faults with respect to the utility of each structure being studied. The state of the art in application of system identification approaches in this context is discussed during an international workshop. Several available methods are reviewed and discussed herein.