Nonlinear structural damage detection using support vector machines

Abstract

An actual structure including connections and interfaces may exist nonlinear. Because of many complicated problems about nonlinear structural health monitoring (SHM), relatively little progress have been made in this aspect. Statistical pattern recognition techniques have been demonstrated to be competitive with other methods when applied to real engineering datasets. When a structure existing 'breathing' cracks that open and close under operational loading may cause a linear structural system to respond to its operational and environmental loads in a nonlinear manner nonlinear. In this paper, a vibration-based structural health monitoring when the structure exists cracks is investigated with autoregressive support vector machine (AR-SVM). Vibration experiments are carried out with a model frame. Time-series data in different cases such as: initial linear structure; linear structure with mass changed; nonlinear structure; nonlinear structure with mass changed are acquired.AR model of acceleration time-series is established, and different kernel function types and corresponding parameters are chosen and compared, which can more accurate, more effectively locate the damage. Different cases damaged states and different damage positions have been recognized successfully. AR-SVM method for the insufficient training samples is proved to be practical and efficient on structure nonlinear damage detection.