Optimal filtering method to structural damage estimation under ground excitation (I): Kalman filtering approach

This paper considers the problem of shear building damage estimation using Kalman filtering approach subjected to earthquake ground excitation. The structural damage is assumed to take the form of reduced elemental stiffness. The damage estimation algorithm is derived from a specific discrete-time Kalman filtering algorithm, named as the multiple model approach via the optimal two-stage Kalman estimator (OTSKE), to determine locations and extents of the damage stiffness. A numerical example of a six-storey shear plane frame structure subjected to base excitation is used to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed results.