Identification of damage using natural frequencies and system moments

A method is presented to find the location and magnitude of damage in a structure using data from dynamic tests. The test data include a combination of natural frequency measurements, taken before and after the occurrence of damage, and response measurements taken after damage. An algorithm is developed to identify localized increases in the flexibility of the structural members. increases in flexibility are attributed to damage. The algorithm uses the sensitivity of the flexibility matrix to changes in the natural frequencies of the structure to identify the damage. A set of underdetermined equations is solved using an objective function which is derived from measurements of the system moments. Damage ranging from 10 to 60% increase in the flexibility of a member was successfully identified in a 50 d.o.f. structure, using a small number of natural frequency and velocity measurements.