ADaptive-scale damage detection for frame structures using beam-type wavelet finite element: Experimental validation

The superior human vision system provides ingenious insight into an ideal damage detection strategy in which structural modeling scales are not only spatially varying but also dynamically changed according to actual needs. This paper experimentally examines the efficacy of a multi-scale damage detection method based on wavelet finite element model (WFEM). The beam-type wavelet finite element in this study utilizes the second-generation cubic Hermite multi-wavelets as interpolation functions. The dynamic testing results of a one-bay steel portal frame with multiple damages are employed in the experimental validation. Through a multi-stage updating of the WFEM, the multiple damages in the steel portal frame are detected in a progressive manner: the suspected region is first identified using a low-scale structural model, and the more accurate location and severity of the damage can be identified using a multi-scale model with local refinement. As the multi-scale WFEM considerably facilitates the adaptive change of modeling scales, the proposed multi-scale damage detection method can efficiently locate and quantify damage with minimal computation effort and a limited number of updating parameters and sensors, compared with conventional finite element methods.