Nondestructive damage detection in structures using changes in compliance

A methodology to identify damage in a structure is presented in this paper. The method utilizes a new form of damage index based on the changes in the distribution of the compliance of the structure due to damage. The changes in the compliance distribution are obtained using the mode shapes of the pre-damaged and the post-damaged state of the structure. The validity of the method is demonstrated using numerically generated data from beam structures and experimental data from a free–free beam structure with inflicted damage. In the numerical and experimental examples, the damage identification performance of the proposed method is compared with that of the existing strain-energy-based method. The results of the numerical and experimental studies indicate that the proposed compliance-based damage index method can be used in damage identification of the structure.