Transmissibility of non-linear output frequency response functions with application in detection and location of damage in MDOF structural systems

Transmissibility is a well-known linear system concept that has been widely applied in the diagnosis of damage in various engineering structural systems. However, in engineering practice, structural systems can behave non-linearly due to certain kinds of damage such as, e.g., breathing cracks. In the present study, the concept of transmissibility is extended to the non-linear case by introducing the Transmissibility of Non-linear Output Frequency Response Functions (NOFRFs). The NOFRFs are a concept recently proposed by the authors for the analysis of non-linear systems in the frequency domain. A NOFRF transmissibility-based technique is then developed for the detection and location of both linear and non-linear damage in MDOF structural systems. Numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness of the new technique. Experimental studies on a three-storey building structure demonstrate the potential to apply the developed technique to the detection and location of damage in practical MDOF engineering structures.