Use of multiple model change detection for crack detection in Euler-Bernoulli beam

This paper deals with a possibility of applying multiple model change detection for crack detection in a beam. The beam is considered here to be a single-span uniform Euler-Bernoulli beam with rectangular cross-section and simply supported ends. The crack is assumed to be fully open single-sided transverse crack with a fixed depth. By rewriting general linear models of beams with different positions and depths of cracks into the state-space representations, their following discretization, and considering an effect of noise during displacement measuring, suitable stochastic models for multiple model change detection are obtained. The idea of multiple model change detection and a complete algorithm of detector that employs a merging technique, that is necessary if a larger number of models is considered, are also thoroughly presented. The end of the paper is devoted to an illustrative example and the evaluation of the proposed approach.