Bridge damage detection using an intelligent engineering system

This thesis concerns the design of an algorithm that is capable to detect structural damage in civil infrastructure bridges. The algorithm, which will be dubbed Damage Diagnostics System throughout the thesis, is the software component of a broader Bridge Health Monitoring System. This broader system integrates software and hardware,such as sensors and data acquisition components...The rationale for the Structural Damage Diagnosis is based on the principle of the structural vibration testing. The Health Monitoring System captures the vibration signals, as the bridge responds to excitation from various sources. The purpose of the Diagnostic System is to extract information from the vibration signals concerning the damage condition of the bridge. This system will identify and quantify the damage, by examining the shifts in the vibration signature. This can be performed with a comparison between the actual vibration signal and the vibration behavior of the undamaged bridge --Introduction, page 1