Performance-based optimal sensor placement method for single-layer reticulated shells considering modal observability and damage identifiability

Structural health monitoring allows for the early detection of structural damage and provide valuable insight into structural performance. However, duo to numerous degrees of freedom and dense vibration modals, designing a sensor placement scheme for Single-Layer Reticulated Shells (SLRSs) is a challenging task. This paper introduces two performance indexes, namely the modal observability and damage identifiability, to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of the sensor system. Subsequently, based on these indexes, the multi-objective optimization algorithm, as well as the performance-based design concepts, a novel performance-based optimal sensor placement (OSP) method for SLRSs is proposed. Two types of sensor placement performance curves, namely the sensor placement effect curve and the sensor placement proportion curve, are presented to determine the optimal number and placement of sensors in different directions. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed method can generate OSP schemes that meet various performance targets, and the performance-based OSP method is superior to the simple multi-objective OSP method. Furthermore, suggestion on selecting the total number of sensors for practical engineering applications is also provided. •Two evaluation indexes for the sensor system performance are proposed.•A strategy is used to reduce the solution space of optimal sensor placement (OSP).•A multi-objective OSP method for single-layer reticulated shells is proposed.•A performance-based OSP method for single-layer reticulated shells is proposed.