A new approach to structural failure detection based on adaptive lattice filtering

A new approach to structural failure detection and localization previously introduced by the authors (1993) based on acoustic reflections is reviewed. It is shown that the cross-sectional areas of structural elements can be computed directly in terms of the reflection coefficients of an optimal finite impulse response filter realized in lattice form. This leads to an elegant method to detect and localize structural failures using recursive online estimation methods. In addition, for the present paper, the reflectivity method theory is investigated for noisy measurements. Also, it is shown how the theory may be applied to compound bars of varying materials and cross sectional areas. A simulation example of a compound bar is given which demonstrates the method