Damage detection for a beam under transient excitation via three different algorithms

Structural health monitoring has increasingly been a focus within the civil engineering research community over the last few decades. With increasing application of sensor networks in large structures and infrastructure systems, effective use and development of robust algorithms to analyze large volumes of data and to extract the desired features has become a challenging problem. In this paper, we grasp some precautions and key points of the signal processing approach, wavelet, establish a relative reliable framework, and analyze three problems that require attention when applying wavelet based damage detection approach. The cases studies how to use optimal scales for extracting mode shapes and modal curvatures in a reinforced concrete beam and how to effectively identify damages using maximum curves of wavelet coefficient differences. Moreover, how to make a recognition based on the wavelet multi-resolution analysis, wavelet packet energy, and fuzzy sets is a meaningful topic that has been addressed in this work. The relative systematic work that compasses algorithms, structures and evaluation paves a way to a framework regarding effective structural health monitoring, orientation, decision and action.