A New Transmissibility Analysis Method for Detection and Location of Damage via Nonlinear Features in MDOF Structural Systems

In this paper, a new transmissibility analysis method is proposed for the detection and location of damage via nonlinear features in multidegree-of-freedom (MDOF) structural systems. The method is derived based on the transmissibility of nonlinear output frequency response functions (NOFRFs), a concept recently proposed to extend the traditional transmissibility concept to the nonlinear case. The implementation of the method is only based on measured system output responses and by evaluating and analyzing the transmissibility of these system responses at super-harmonics. This overcomes the problems with available techniques, which assume there is one damaged component with nonlinear features in the system and/or require loading on inspected structural systems is measurable. Both numerical simulation studies and experimental data analysis have been conducted to verify the effectiveness and demonstrate the potential practical applications of the new method.