A method of online damage identification for structures based on ambient vibration

A method of damage indentification for engineering structures based on ambient vibration is put forward, in which output data are used only. Firstly, it was identification of the statistic parameters to associate with the exterior excitation for undamaged structures. Then it was detection and location of the structural damages for damaged structures. The ambient identification method includes a theoretical model and numerical method. The numerical experiment results show the method is precise and effective. This method may be used in health monitoring for bridges and architectures.