Sensor validation using principal component analysis

For a reliable on-line vibration monitoring of structures, it is necessary to have accurate sensor information. However, sensors may sometimes be faulty or may even become unavailable due to failure or maintenance activities. The problem of sensor validation is therefore a critical part of structural health monitoring. The objective of the present study is to present a procedure based on principal component analysis which is able to perform detection, isolation and reconstruction of a faulty sensor. Its efficiency is assessed using an experimental application.