Damage detection in steel structures with semi-rigid connections using unscented Kalman filter
International Journal of Structural Integrity
ISSN: 1757-9864
Article publication date: 10 April 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to detect damages in steel structures with actual connections, i.e. semi-rigid connections. The method will detect the damages by tracking the changes in the stiffness of structural members using only a limited number of dynamic responses and without knowing the type or time history of the dynamic force applied on the structure.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proposes a technique that combines the iterative least-square and unscented Kalman filter (UKF) methods to identify the stiffness of beams and columns in typical two-dimensional steel-framed structures with semi-rigid connections. The detection of damages is by using nonlinear time-domain structural health monitoring method.
Findings
The technique is verified by using numerical examples using noise-free and noise-included dynamic responses from two different types of dynamic forces: harmonic and blast loads. The results showed that the UKF method with iterative least-square is a powerful approach to identify and detect damages in structures that have nonlinear behavior and the method was able to detect the damages in beams with a very high accuracy for noise-free and noise-included dynamic responses. In addition, the optimum number and locations of dynamic responses (accelerometer sensors) required for damage detection were determined.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills an identified need to detect damages in steel structures using only a limited number of accelerometer sensors.
Keywords
Citation
Katkhuda, H., Shatarat, N. and Hyari, K. (2017), "Damage detection in steel structures with semi-rigid connections using unscented Kalman filter", International Journal of Structural Integrity, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 222-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSI-04-2016-0014
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited