• 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.26 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2012

This paper presents an experimental modal analysis of a caisson-type breakwater to produce basic information for the structural health assessment of a caisson structure. To achieve the objective, the following approaches are implemented. First, modal analysis methods are selected to examine the modal characteristics of a caisson structure. Second, experimental modal analyses are performed using finite element analyses and lab-scale model tests. Third, damage scenarios that include several damage levels in a foundation-structure interface are designed. Finally, the effects of damage on the modal characteristics are analyzed for the purpose of utilizing them for damage identification.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.577-582
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• 2001

Identification of damage of structures has recently received considerable attention in the light of maintenance and safety assessment under service loads. In buildings, the current techniques of safety assessment largely depend on partial experiments such as visual inspection, destructive and nondestructive tests which lead to overconsumption of time and cost as well as higher labor intensity. Therefore, a new trial for safety assessment is urgently needed today. In this respect, the vibration characteristics of buildings have been applied steadily to obtain a damage index of the whole building, but it cannot be established as a practical method until now. This study is aimed at investigating the application of damage identification methods using vibration characteristics of building. Numerical tests are performed on a apartment building. From the test results, it is observed that severity and location of damage can be estimated with a relatively small error by using natural frequency and mode shape data.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

In this study, hybrid smart sensor nodes were developed for the autonomous structural health monitoring of prestressed concrete (PSC) girders. In order to achieve the objective, the following approaches were implemented. First, we show how two types of smart sensor nodes for the hybrid health monitoring were developed. One was an acceleration-based smart sensor node using an MEMS accelerometer to monitor the overall damage in concrete girders. The other was an impedance-based smart sensor node for monitoring the local damage in prestressing tendons. Second, a hybrid monitoring algorithm using these smart sensor nodes is proposed for the autonomous structural health monitoring of PSC girders. Finally, we show how the performance of the developed system was evaluated using a lab-scaled PSC girder model for which dynamic tests were performed on a series of prestress-loss cases and girder damage cases.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.731-753
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• 2014

In this study, an indirect approach is developed for assessing the state of a bridge on the basis of mode shapes estimated by the responses of passing vehicles. Two types of damages, i.e., immobilization of a support and decrease in beam stiffness at the center, are evaluated with varying degrees of road roughness and measurement noise. The assessment theory's feasibility is verified through numerical simulations of interactive vibration between a two-dimensional beam and passing vehicles modeled simply as sprung mass. It is determined that the damage state can be recognized by the estimated mode shapes when the beam incurs severe damage, such as immobilization of rotational support, and the responses contain no noise. However, the developed theory has low robustness against noise. Therefore, numerous measurements are needed for damage identification when the measurement is contaminated with noise.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.6
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• pp.649-659
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• 2019

Vibration-based structural damage detection through optimization algorithms and minimization of objective function has recently become an interesting research topic. Application of various objective functions as well as optimization algorithms may affect damage diagnosis quality. This paper proposes a new damage identification method using Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO). MFO is a nature-inspired algorithm based on moth's ability to navigate in dark. Objective function consists of a term with modal assurance criterion flexibility and natural frequency. To show the performance of the said method, two numerical examples including truss and shear frame have been studied. Furthermore, Los Alamos National Laboratory test structure was used for validation purposes. Finite element model for both experimental and numerical examples was created by MATLAB software to extract modal properties of the structure. Mode shapes and natural frequencies were contaminated with noise in above mentioned numerical examples. In the meantime, one of the classical optimization algorithms called particle swarm optimization was compared with MFO. In short, results obtained from numerical and experimental examples showed that the presented method is efficient in damage identification.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2019

This paper addresses the problem of damage detection in suspension bridge hangers, with an emphasis on the modal flexibility method. It aims at evaluating the capability and the accuracy of the modal flexibility method to detect and locate single and multiple damages in suspension bridge hangers, with different level of severity and various locations. The study is conducted numerically and experimentally on a laboratory suspension bridge mock-up. First, the covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification is used to extract the modal parameters of the bridge from experimental data, using only output measurements data from ambient vibration. Then, the method is demonstrated for several damage scenarios and compared against other classical methods, such as: Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion (COMAC), Enhanced Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion (ECOMAC), Mode Shape Curvature (MSC) and Modal Strain Energy (MSE). The paper demonstrates the relative merits and shortcomings of these methods which play a significant role in the damage detection ofsuspension bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.327-336
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• 2018

In this study, an efficient damage index is proposed to identify multiple damage cases in structural systems using the concepts of frequency response function (FRF) matrix and strain energy of a structure. The index is defined based on the change of strain energy of an element due to damage. For obtaining the strain energy stored in elements, the columnar coefficients of the FRF matrix is used. The new indicator is named here as frequency response function strain energy based index (FRFSEBI). In order to assess the performance of the proposed index for structural damage detection, some benchmark structures having a number of damage scenarios are considered. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed index even with considering noise can accurately identify the actual location and approximate severity of the damage. In order to demonstrate the high efficiency of the proposed damage index, its performance is also compared with that of the flexibility strain energy based index (FSEBI) provided in the literature.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.89-110
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• 2014

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an effective alternative to conventional inspections which are time-consuming and subjective. SHM can detect damage early and reduce maintenance cost and thereby help reduce the likelihood of catastrophic structural events to infrastructure such as bridges. After reviewing the Damage Index Method (DIM), an Iterative Damage Index Method (IDIM) is proposed to improve the accuracy of damage detection. These two damage detection techniques are compared based on damage on two structures, a simply supported beam and a pedestrian bridge. Compared to the traditional damage detection algorithm, the proposed IDIM is shown to be less arbitrary and more accurate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.5 s.60
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• pp.641-646
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• 2002

A new damage detection technique using static displacement data was developed, in order to assess the structural integrity of bridge structures. In conventional damage assessment techniques using dynamic response, the variation of natural frequencies is intrinsically insensitive to the damage of the bridge: thus, it is usually difficult to obtain them from the measured data. The proposed detection method enables the estimation of the stiffness reduction of bridges using the static displacement data that are measured periodically, without requiring a specific loading test. Devices such as a laser displacement sensor can be used to measure static displacement data due to the dead load of the bridge structure. In this study, structural damage was represented by the reduction in the elastic modulus of the element. The damage factor of the element was introduced to estimate the stiffness reduction of the bridge under consideration. Likewise, the proposed algorithm was verified using various numerical simulations and compared with other damage detection methods. The effects of noise and number of damaged elements on damage detection were also investigated. Results showed that the proposed algorithm efficiently detects damage on the bridge.