Real-time fast damage detection of shear structures with random base excitation

•Two damage detection methods for shear structures with random base excitation.•Fast damage detection for real-time structural health monitoring.•The methods have a strong anti-noise ability and high sensitivity on small damage.•The methods do not require the numerical model.•The methods avoid the error in the parameter identification process.

This paper validates the use of two jerk energy-based damage localization methods, proposed for the regular test with pulse excitation in earlier work, in real-time damage detection of shear structures with random base excitation. First, a 20-story shear structure numerical model is considered to provide numerical validation with random base excitation. Then, performance of the two methods in damage detection is experimentally validated through a laboratory-scale 6-story shear structure model. Both experimental and numerical results of single and multiple damage cases with different levels of stiffness loss indicate that the two jerk energy-based methods can also be used in real-time damage detection of shear structures with random base excitation. The two jerk energy-based methods perform well in the presence of high noise level; moreover, they are model-free that avoid establishing the structural finite element model and model updating.