Structural damage detection based on covariance of covariance matrix with general white noise excitation

Covariance of the auto/cross-covariance matrix based method is studied for the damage identification of a structure with illustrations on its advantages and limitations. The original method is extended for structures under direct white noise excitations. The auto/cross-covariance function of the measured acceleration and its corresponding derivatives are formulated analytically, and the method is modified in two new strategies to enable successful identification with much fewer sensors. Numerical examples are adopted to illustrate the improved method, and the effects of sampling frequency and sampling duration are discussed. Results show that the covariance of covariance calculated from responses of higher order modes of a structure play an important role to the accurate identification of local damage in a structure.