On robust regression analysis as a means of exploring environmental and operational conditions for SHM data

In the data-based approach to structural health monitoring (SHM), the absence of data from damaged structures in many cases forces a dependence on novelty detection as a means of diagnosis. Unfortunately, this means that benign variations in the operating or environmental conditions of the structure must be handled very carefully, lest they lead to false alarms. If novelty detection is implemented in terms of outlier detection, the outliers may arise in the data as the result of both benign and malign causes and it is important to understand their sources. Comparatively recent developments in the field of robust regression have the potential to provide ways of exploring and visualising SHM data as a means of shedding light on the different origins of outliers. The current paper will illustrate the use of robust regression for SHM data analysis through experimental data acquired from the Z24 and Tamar Bridges, although the methods are general and not restricted to SHM or civil infrastructure.