Direct method of damage localization for civil structures via shape comparison of dynamic response measurements

A method of damage localization is introduced which relies on continuous wavelet transformation of the structure’s forced dynamic response. Continuous wavelet transforms represent the shape attributes of time series and enhance their delineation in the time-scale domain. As such, they allow identification of localized shape changes of dynamic responses for signal change detection. This change detection capacity enables identifying the damage-affected responses as well as formulating the characteristic effects of individual damaged components on the modeled dynamic response. The results obtained from simulated acceleration of a nine-storey building are 90% and 100% accurate with the steady-state and transient accelerations, respectively.

► Signal change detection is achieved by continuous wavelet transforms. ► It characterizes the damage effect on the structure’s dynamic response. ► It also formulates the components signatures on the modeled dynamic response. ► Damage is localized by matching the damage effect against the component signatures. ► The method’s accuracy is 100% with the transient response and 90% with the steady-state.