System for detecting aircraft structure damage and associated method

A system for detecting aircraft structure damage and an associated method are disclosed. The system comprises: an aircraft structure; and a structural health monitoring (SHM) system configured to monitor structural health of the aircraft structure, the SHM system comprising: an actuator bonded to the aircraft structure and configured to: generate a reference vibration signal having a reference amplitude that propagates through the aircraft structure at a first time, and generate a comparison vibration signal having a comparison amplitude that propagates through the aircraft structure at a second time after the first time, the comparison amplitude representing damage incurred by the aircraft structure between the first time and the second time; a sensor bonded to the aircraft structure andconfigured to receive the reference vibration signal and the comparison vibration signal; and a processor configured to compute a gain damage index as a function of the reference amplitude divided bythe comparison amplitude.