Experimental study of nonlinear wave parameters in mortar

The study of the nonlinear dynamic behavior seems advantageous for damage characterization. The reason is that the level of nonlinearity is greater in damaged than in intact material. In the present study, the relationship between the response and excitation amplitudes in wave measurements in mortar with simulated damage is discussed. A deviation from linearity is exhibited as the damage increases, while the spectral content is also affected since more energy is translated in frequency bands other than the excited.