A Method for Implementation of Damage Detection Algorithms for Civil SHM Systems

A method for implementation of damage detection alg orithms for ambient-vibration based structural health monitoring systems is presented. The method can be described in three parts: development of the damage detection methodology (DD M) for use in the system, development of a set of simulations of damaged data and the optimiza tion of the sensor locations. The DDM is developed by combining multiple damage detection al gorithms. This is done to increase the robustness of the DDM. A set of calibrated damage s imulations (CDS) for evaluation of the damage detection methodology is developed based on a finite element model and real data obtained from an ambient vibration test of the structure. On ce the DDM is satisfactory, the implementation method can be iterated to find the optimal layout o f the sensors. The DDM was initially developed using a 2D truss and a 3D frame example; the CDS wa s illustrated using real datasets from the 3D frame. Then the implementation method was applied t o two building case studies.