Robust Damage Location in Structures Using Taguchi Method

A robust damage estimation technique is presented such that the location and severity of damages can be estimated in the presence of random errors in measured data as well as systematic errors in the analytical model. In order to estimate damage efficiently, the concept of design of experiment using orthogonal array is used for screening the main effects of each parameter which corresponds to possible damage location in the finite element (FE) model. Then, the Taguchi method, which has been widely used as effective design tools in many areas of engineering, is applied to parameter updating in the analytical FE model in an iterative way. The numerical simulations of truss structures and cantilever beam show that damages in structure can be located in the presence of various noises in measurement as well as systematic errors in the analytical model.