Structural damage detection using the combination method of EMD and wavelet analysis

The use of the combination method of empirical mode decomposition(EMD) and wavelet analysis is explored for the detection of changes in the structural response data. Firstly, we adopt the EMD technique to decompose the response signal of structure vibration into several mono-component signals which become analytic signal by means of Hilbert transform. Then each mono-component signal is analysed via wavelet transform to detect the exact location and severity of damage. The results demonstrate that the combination method of EMD and continuous wavelet transform can be used to identify the time more sharply and effectively at which structural damage occurs than by using the wavelet transform method alone. The numerical simulation and the analysis of the response signal data from the shear building show that this method is effective.