Vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring based on nonlinear signal analysis

Vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring is a field which is concerned with the estimation of the current state of a structure or a component from its vibration response with regards to its ability to perform its intended function appropriately. This study suggests using the concept of signal cross-correlation for the purposes of vibration-based health monitoring. A nonlinear alternative of the cross-correlation, the mutual information between two signals measured on the structure, regarded as an input and an output, is used to develop a damage metric and a damage index. The application of the suggested methodology is shown on a composite beam test set using experimental measurements

A method for vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring based on signal cross-correlation

Vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring is a field which is concerned with the estimation of the current state of a structure or a component from its vibration response with regards to its ability to perform its intended function appropriately. One way to approach this problem is through damage features extracted from the measured structural vibration response. This paper suggests to use a new concept for the purposes of vibration-based health monitoring. The correlation between two signals, an input and an output, measured on the structure is used to develop a damage indicator. The paper investigates the applicability of the signal cross-correlation and a nonlinear alternative, the average mutual information between the two signals, for the purposes of structural health monitoring and damage assessment. The suggested methodology is applied and demonstrated for delamination detection in a composite beam

A review of the paper 'Some insights into the dynamics of defective structures' by J. A. Brandon

John Brandon has a long-standing record of leading internationally recognized research in the area of structural and non-linear dynamics as well as on the analysis of the mechanics and dynamics of defective structures. His consistent research in these areas is aimed at an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of damaged structures combined with the mechanics of crack development. He initiated and led the Cardiff research group on non-linear structural dynamics and damage analysis and detection for many years. His article 'Some insights into the dynamics of defective structures' is an excellent example of assembling and presenting together a lot of the research in the vibration modelling and experimental testing of damaged structures. It presents and summarizes the recent findings and trends in non-linear dynamics of defective structures. The reviewed article focuses mainly on the modelling and the analysis of non-linear effects in structural dynamics as well as in the dynamics of damaged structures, which have mostly been neglected in the recent literature

An automated procedure for detection and identification of ball bearing damage using multivariate statistics and pattern recognition

This paper suggests an automated approach for fault detection and classification in roller bearings, which is based on pattern recognition and principal components analysis of the measured vibration signals. The signals recorded are pre-processed applying a wavelet transform in order to extract the appropriate high frequency (detailed) area needed for ball bearing fault detection. This is followed by a pattern recognition (PR) procedure used to recognise between signals coming from healthy bearings and those generated from different bearing faults. Four categories of signals are considered, namely no fault signals (from a healthy bearing) inner race fault, outer race fault and rolling element fault signals. The PR procedure uses the first six principal components extracted from the signals after a proper principal component analysis (PCA). In this work a modified PCA is suggested which is much more appropriate for categorical data. The combination of the modified PCA and the PR method ensures that the fault is automatically detected and classified to one of the considered fault categories. The method suggested does not require the knowledge/ determination of the specific fault frequencies and/or any expert analysis: once the signal filtering is done and the PC's are found the PR method automatically gives the answer if there is a fault present and its type

Vibration-based damage detection in structures using time series analysis

The paper considers some possibilities to use pure time series analysis for damage diagnosis in vibrating structures. It introduces the basics of the state space methodology and discusses a number of possible methods to extract damage sensitive features from the state space representation of the attractor of a vibrating system. The discussed methods can be divided into two groups: methods that use non-linear dynamics characteristics and methods based on the statistical characteristics of the distribution of points on the attractor. Each possible damage feature is introduced separately and the advantages and shortfalls of its application are discussed. The application of the suggested techniques is demonstrated on a test case of a reinforced concrete plate

A method for vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring based on signal cross-correlation

Vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring is a field which is concerned with the estimation of the current state of a structure or a component from its vibration response with regards to its ability to perform its intended function appropriately. One way to approach this problem is through damage features extracted from the measured structural vibration response. This paper suggests to use a new concept for the purposes of vibration-based health monitoring. The correlation between two signals, an input and an output, measured on the structure is used to develop a damage indicator. The paper investigates the applicability of the signal cross-correlation and a nonlinear alternative, the average mutual information between the two signals, for the purposes of structural health monitoring and damage assessment. The suggested methodology is applied and demonstrated for delamination detection in a composite beam

A method for vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring based on signal cross-correlation

Vibration-based structural interrogation and health monitoring is a field which is concerned with the estimation of the current state of a structure or a component from its vibration response with regards to its ability to perform its intended function appropriately. One way to approach this problem is through damage features extracted from the measured structural vibration response. This paper suggests to use a new concept for the purposes of vibration-based health monitoring. The correlation between two signals, an input and an output, measured on the structure is used to develop a damage indicator. The paper investigates the applicability of the signal cross-correlation and a nonlinear alternative, the average mutual information between the two signals, for the purposes of structural health monitoring and damage assessment. The suggested methodology is applied and demonstrated for delamination detection in a composite beam

A simple method for enhanced vibration-based structural health monitoring

This study suggests a novel method for structural vibration-based health monitoring for beams which only utilises the first natural frequency of the beam in order to detect and localise a defect. The method is based on the application of a static force in different positions along the beam. It is shown that the application of a static force on a damaged beam induces stresses at the defect which in turn cause changes in the structural natural frequencies. A very simple procedure for damage detection is suggested which uses a static force applied in just one point, in the middle of the beam. Localisation is made using two additional application points of the static force. Damage is modelled as a small notch through the whole width of the beam. The method is demonstrated and validated numerically, using a finite element model of the beam, and experimentally for a simply supported beam. Our results show that the frequency variation with the change of the force application point can be used to detect and in the same time localize very precisely even a very small defect. The method can be extended for health monitoring of other more complicated structures

Large amplitude vibrations and damage detection of rectangular plates

In this work, geometrically nonlinear vibrations of fully clamped rectangular plates are used to study the sensitivity of some nonlinear vibration response parameters to the presence of damage. The geometrically nonlinear version of the Mindlin plate theory is used to model the plate behaviour. Damage is represented as a stiffness reduction in a small area of the plate. The plate is subjected to harmonic loading with a frequency of excitation close to the first natural frequency leading to large amplitude vibrations. The plate vibration response is obtained by a pseudo-load mode superposition method. The main results are focussed on establishing the influence of damage on the vibration response of the plate and the change in the time-history diagrams and the Poincaré maps caused by the damage. Finally, a criterion and a damage index for detecting the presence and the location of the damage is proposed. The criterion is based on analyzing the points in the Poincaré sections of the damaged and healthy plate. Numerical results for large amplitude vibrations of damaged and healthy rectangular and square plates are presented and the proposed damage index for the considered cases is calculated. The criterion demonstrates quite good abilities to detect and localise damage

Vibration-based methods for structural and machinery fault diagnosis based on nonlinear dynamics tools

This study explains and demonstrates the utilisation of different nonlinear-dynamics-based procedures for the purposes of structural health monitoring as well as for monitoring of robot joints