Abstract
Previous research based on theoretical simulations has shown the potential of the wavelet transform to detect damage in a beam by analysing the time-deflection response due to a constant moving load. However, its application to identify damage from the response of a bridge to a vehicle raises a number of questions. Firstly, it may be difficult to record the difference in the deflection signal between a healthy and a slightly damaged structure to the required level of accuracy and high scanning frequencies in the field. Secondly, the bridge is going to have a road profile and it will be loaded by a sprung vehicle and time-varying forces rather than a constant load. Therefore, an algorithm based on a plot of wavelet coefficients versus time to detect damage (a singularity in the plot) appears to be very sensitive to noise. This paper addresses these questions by: (a) using the acceleration signal, instead of the deflection signal, (b) employing a vehicle-bridge finite element interaction model, and (c) developing a novel wavelet-based approach using wavelet energy content at each bridge section which proves to be more sensitive to damage than a wavelet coefficient line plot at a given scale as employed by others.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 145-166 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | null |
Early online date | 08 Jul 2011 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2012 |
Keywords
- Bridge, Damage detection, Wavelet, Moving Load, Dynamics, Acceleration
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Computer Science Applications
- Signal Processing