Nondestructive damage identification in plate structures using changes in modal compliance

This paper presents a methodology to detect and locate damage in a plate structure. The methodology utilizes damage indices based on the changes in the distribution of the modal compliance of the plate structure due to damage. The changes in the modal compliance distribution are obtained using the mode shapes of the pre-damaged and post-damaged states of the structure. The moment-curvature relationships and the invariant expression for the sum of bending moments are utilitzed to formulate the damage index. The basic elements of the approach are summarized, and the validity of the proposed method is demonstrated using numerical and experimental data.