An integral equation for changes in the structural dynamics characteristics of damaged structures

This paper presents a relationship between the structural dynamic characteristics of damaged and intact structures. Such a relationship is derived in the form of an integral equation and is used to develop a method of flaw identification. The resulting flaw identification procedure uses the experimental data and relates the flaw to the observed structural dynamic response. The algorithm enables one to detect the damage locations end the corresponding damage magnitude simultaneously. Numerical simulations and experiments are conducted to validate the theory. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.