Structural Damage Localization Using Limited Test Static Data

A new structural damage localization indicator is proposed to localize the damage of the structure using limited test static displacement in this paper. The static displacement curvature assurance coefficient (SDCAC) is defined and used to locate damages of the structure when the measured data is sparse. A numerical example of a cantilever beam with single or multiple damages is used to examine the capability of the proposed parameter to localize damages. The factors of measurement noise and incomplete test data are also discussed. The numerical results show that the curvature assurance coefficient (SDCAC) is very sensitive to damage and can be used to locate the damage in the structure regardless of the number of measured displacement. This proposed method, which only requires limited static test data to reduce the damage area until the damage element is located, has wide applications in structural damage detection.