Structural damage characterization using free decays

A new technique for the identification and characterization of damage in st ructures is presented. The technique employs a newly developed non-exponent ial transient decay model which relies on a statistical description of the structure's modal characteristics. The resulting technique provides an esti mate of both the severity and extent of the damage without reliance on deta iled modal information. The technique is supported by numerical simulations of damaged truss structures. (C) 2001 Academic Press.