The connection between effective independence and modal kinetic energy methods for sensor placement

The comparison and inherent relationship between two influencing sensor placement methods, i.e. modal kinetic energy (MKE) and effective independence (EI), are addressed in this paper. The problem is of primary concern for dynamic testing, damage identification and structural health monitoring. By analyzing the sensor placement problem with EI method from the perspective of a new reduced system, the connection of MKE with EI method is revealed. The latter is an iterated version of the former, and the reduced mode shapes are ortho-normalized repeatedly during iterations of the latter. Two alternative forms for efficient computation of the iterative EI method are presented. Finally, both methods are applied to the I-40 Bridge located over the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the derived relationship is verified.