Novel Laplacian scheme and multiresolution modal curvatures for structural damage identification

Modal curvature is more sensitive to structural damage than directly measured mode shape, and the standard Laplace operator is commonly used to acquire the modal curvatures from the mode shapes. However, the standard Laplace operator is very prone to noise, which often leads to the degraded modal curvatures incapable of identifying damage. To overcome this problem, a novel Laplacian scheme is proposed, from which an improved damage identification algorithm is developed. The proposed step-by-step procedures in the algorithm include: (1) By progressively upsampling the standard Laplace operator, a new Laplace operator is constructed, from which a Laplace operator array is formed; (2) by applying the Laplace operator array to the retrieved mode shape of a damaged structure, the multiresolution curvature mode shapes are produced, on which the damage trait, previously shadowed under the standard Laplace operator, can be revealed by a ridge of multiresolution modal curvatures; (3) a Gaussian filter is then incorporated into the new Laplace operator to produce a more versatile Laplace operator with properties of both the smoothness and differential capabilities, in which the damage feature is effectively strengthened; and (4) a smoothened nonlinear energy operator is introduced to further enhance the damage feature by eliminating the trend interference of the multiresolution modal curvatures, and it results in a significantly improved damage trait. The proposed algorithm is tested using the data generated by an analytical crack beam model, and its applicability is validated with an experimental program of a delaminated composite beam using scanning laser vibrometer (SLV) to acquire mode shapes. The results are compared in each step, showing increasing degree of improvement for damage effect. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed novel Laplacian scheme provides a promising damage identification algorithm, which exhibits apparent advantages (e.g., high-noise insusceptibility, insightful in damage revealment, and visualized damage presentation) over the standard Laplace operator.