• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.69-87
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• 2014

A new output only modal analysis method is developed in this paper. This method uses continuous wavelet transform to modify a popular blind source separation algorithm, second order blind identification (SOBI). The wavelet modified SOBI (WMSOBI) method replaces original time domain signal with selected time-frequency domain wavelet coefficients, which overcomes the shortcomings of SOBI. Both numerical and experimental studies on bridge models are carried out when there are limited number of sensors. Identified modal properties from WMSOBI are analyzed and compared with fast Fourier transform (FFT), SOBI and eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA). The comparison shows WMSOBI can identify as many results as FFT and ERA. Further case study of structural health monitoring (SHM) on an arch bridge verifies the capability to detect damages by combining WMSOBI with incomplete flexibility difference method.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.184-194
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• 2016

In existing identification methods for on-orbit spacecraft, such as eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA) and subspace method identification (SMI), singular value decomposition (SVD) is used frequently to estimate the modal parameters. However, these identification methods are often used to process the linear time-invariant system, and there is a lower computation efficiency using the SVD when the system order of spacecraft is high. In this study, to improve the computational efficiency in identifying time-varying modal parameters of large spacecraft, a faster recursive algorithm called fast approximated power iteration (FAPI) is employed. This approach avoids the SVD and can be provided as an alternative spacecraft identification method, and the latest modal parameters obtained can be applied for updating the controller parameters timely (e.g. the self-adaptive control problem). In numerical simulations, two large flexible spacecraft models, the Engineering Test Satellite-VIII (ETS-VIII) and Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) satellite, are established. The identification results show that this recursive algorithm can obtain the time-varying modal parameters, and the computation time is reduced significantly.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.10 no.4_5
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• pp.353-373
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• 2012

The instrumented Canton Tower is a 610 m high-rise structure, which has been considered as a benchmark problem for structural health monitoring (SHM) research. In this paper, an improved automatic modal identification method is presented based on a natural excitation technique in conjunction with the eigensystem realization algorithm (NExT/ERA). In the proposed modal identification method, damping ratio, consistent mode indicator from observability matrices (CMI_O) and modal amplitude coherence (MAC) are used as criteria to distinguish the physically true modes from spurious modes. Enhanced frequency domain decomposition (EFDD), the data-driven stochastic subspace identification method (SSI-DATA) and the proposed method are respectively applied to extract the modal parameters of the Canton Tower under different environmental conditions. Results of modal parameter identification based on output-only measurements are presented and discussed. User-selected parameters used in those methods are suggested and discussed. Furthermore, the effect of environmental conditions on the dynamic characteristics of Canton tower is investigated.

• Computational Structural Engineering : An International Journal
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

For system identification of large structures, it is not practical to identify the entire structure due to the prohibitive computational time and difficulty in numerical convergence. This paper explores the possibility of performing system identification at substructure level, taking advantage of reduction in both the number of unknowns and the number of degrees of freedom involved. Another advantage is that different portions (substructures) of a structural system can be identified independently and even concurrently with parallel computing. Two substructural identification methods are formulated on the basis whether substructural approach is used to obtain first-order or second-order model. For substructural first-order model, identification at the substructure level will be performed by means of the Observer/Kalman filter Identification (OKID) and the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA) whereas identification at the global level will be performed to obtain second-order model in order to evaluate the system's stiffness and mass parameters. In the case of substructural second-order model, identification will be performed at the substructure level throughout the identification process. The efficiency of the proposed technique is shown by numerical examples for multi-storey shear buildings subjected to random forces, taking into consideration the effects of noisy measurement data. The results indicate that both the proposed methods are effective and efficient for damage identification of large structures.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.2 s.69
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

This paper, presents a comparison between numerical analysis and field test on a real offshore platform in Bohai Bay, China. This platform is a steel jacket offshore platform with vertical piles. The field testing under wave-induced force and wind force etc. was conducted, in order to obtain the dynamic parameters of the structure, including the frequencies of the jacket platform, as well as the corresponding damping ratios and mode shapes. The natural excitation technology (NexT) combined with eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA) and the peak picking (PP) method in frequency domain are carried out for modal parameter indentification under operational conditions. The three-dimeansional finite element model (FEM) is constructed by ANSYS and analytical modal analysis is performed to generate modal parameters. The analytical results were compared with experimental results. A good agreement was achieved between the finite element and analysis and field test results. It is further demonstrated that the numerical and experimental modal analysis provide a comprehensive study on the dynamic properties of the jacket platform. According to the analysis results, the modal parameters identification under ambient excitation can calibrate finite element model of the jacket platform structures, or can be used for the structural health monitoring system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.523-541
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• 2015

Structural health monitoring of steel truss bridge based on changes in modal properties was investigated in this study. Vibration measurements with five sensors were conducted at an existing Warren truss bridge with partial fractures in diagonal members before and after an emergency repair work. Modal properties identified by the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm showed evidences of increases in modal damping due to the damage in diagonal member. In order to understand the dynamic behavior of the bridge and possible mechanism of those increases in modal damping, theoretical modal analysis was conducted with three dimensional frame models. It was found that vibrations of the main truss could be coupled internally with local vibrations of diagonal members and the degree of coupling could change with structural changes in diagonal members. Additional vibration measurements with fifteen sensors were then conducted so as to understand the consistency of those theoretical findings with the actual dynamic behavior. Modal properties experimentally identified showed that the damping change caused by the damage in diagonal member described above could have occurred in a diagonal-coupled mode. The results in this study imply that damages in diagonal members could be detected from changes in modal damping of diagonal-coupled modes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.2038-2045
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• 2021

The main objective of this work is to propose a reliable routine standard operation procedures (SOP) for structural health monitoring and diagnosis of nuclear power plants (NPPs). At present, NPPs have monitoring systems that can be used to obtain the quantitative health record of containment (CTMT) buildings through system identification technology. However, because the measurement signals are often interfered with by noise, the identification results may introduce erroneous conclusions if the measured data is directly adopted. Therefore, this paper recommends the SOP for signal screening and the required identification procedures to identify the dynamic characteristics of the CTMT of NPPs. In the SOP, three recommend methods are proposed including the Recursive Least Squares (RLS), the Observer Kalman Filter Identification/Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (OKID/ERA), and the Frequency Response Function (FRF). The identification results can be verified by comparing the results of different methods. Finally, a preliminary CTMT healthy record can be established based on the limited number of earthquake records. It can be served as the quantitative reference to expedite the restart procedure. If the fundamental frequency of the CTMT drops significantly after the Operating Basis Earthquake and Safe Shutdown Earthquake (OBE/SSE), it means that the restart actions suggested by the regulatory guide should be taken in place immediately.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.463-479
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• 2007

A series of wind tunnel sectional model dynamic tests of a twin-deck bridge were conducted at the CLP Power Wind/Wave Tunnel Facility (WWTF) of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to investigate the effects of gap-width on the self-excited vibrations and the dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of the bridge. Five 2.9 m long models with different gap-widths were fabricated and suspended in the wind tunnel to simulate a two-degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) bridge dynamic system, free to vibrate in both vertical and torsional directions. The mass, vertical frequency, and the torsional-to-vertical frequency ratio of the 2DOF systems were fixed to emphasize the effects of gap-width. A free-vibration test methodology was employed and the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA) was utilized to extract the eight flutter derivatives and the modal parameters from the coupled free-decay responses. The results of the zero gap-width configuration were in reasonable agreement with the theoretical values for an ideal thin flat plate in smooth flow and the published results of models with similar cross-sections, thus validating the experimental and analytical techniques utilized in this study. The methodology was further verified by the comparison between the measured and predicted free-decay responses. A comparison of results for different gap-widths revealed that variations of the gap-width mainly affect the torsional damping property, and that the configurations with greater gap-widths show a higher torsional damping ratio and hence stronger aerodynamic stability of the bridge.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.20-29
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• 2022

The operational modal analysis (OMA) technique, which extracts the modal parameters of a structural system using ambient vibrations, has been actively developed as a field of structural health monitoring of cable-supported bridges. In this paper, the short and long-term modal parameters of a cable-stayed bridge were evaluated using the acceleration data obtained from the two ambient vibration tests (AVTs) and three years of continuous measurements. A total of 27 vertical modes and 1 lateral mode in the range 0.1 ~ 2.5 Hz were extracted from the high-resolution AVTs which were conducted in the 6th and 19th years after its completion. Existing OMA methods such as Peak-Picking (PP), Eigensystem Realization Algorithm with Data Correlation (ERADC), Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) and Time Domain Decomposition (TDD) were applied for modal parameters extraction, and it was confirmed that there was no significant difference between the applied methods. From the correlation analysis between long-term natural frequencies and environmental factors, it was confirmed that temperature change is the dominant factor influencing natural frequency fluctuations. It was revealed that the decreased natural frequencies of the bridge were not due to changes in structural performance and integrity, but to the environmental effects caused by the temperature difference between the two AVTs. In addition, when the TDD technique is applied, the accuracy of extracted mode shapes is improved by adding a proposed algorithm that normalizes the sequence so that the autocorrelations at zero lag equal 1.