Clump interpolation error for the identification of damage using decentralized sensor networks

Recent developments in the field of smart sensing systems enable performing simple onboard operations which are increasingly used for the decentralization of complex procedures in the context of vibration-based structural health monitoring (SHM). Vibration data collected by multiple sensors are traditionally used to identify damage-sensitive features (DSFs) in a centralized topology. However, dealing with large infrastructures and wireless systems may be challenging due to their limited transmission range and to the energy consumption that increases with the complexity of the sensing network. Local DSFs based on data collected in the vicinity of inspection locations are the key to overcome geometric limits and easily design scalable wireless sensing systems. Furthermore, the onboard pre-processing of the raw data is necessary to reduce the transmission rate and improve the overall efficiency of the network. In this study, an effective method for real-time modal identification is used together with a local approximation of a damage feature, the interpolation error, to detect and localize damage due to a loss of stiffness. The DSF is evaluated using the responses recorded at small groups of sensors organized in a decentralized topology. This enables the onboard damage identification in real time thereby reducing computational effort and memory allocation requirements. Experimental tests conducted using real data confirm the robustness of the proposed method and the potential of its implementation onboard decentralized sensor networks.