Damage detection of coupled bridge deck-girder system

An equation error based approach of structural damage quantification at element level is presented in this paper. The proposed equation error approach is found to be efficient for identifying the properties of structure at element level directly without iterations. But its application in literature is limited to truss type structures only. The equation error based identification algorithm is readily developed for structural system coupled with beam and plate element so that it can be applied to assess the damage of bridge deck-girder system. The inverse method proposed here utilize modal frequencies and mode shapes of the damaged structure to identify the structural properties locally. The formulation is elucidated through a typical longitudinal and cross girder system monolithic with deck slab. Various feasible damage scenarios are considered to establish the identifiability of the proposed algorithm using numerically simulated modal data obtained through finite element analysis software. A Monte Carlo based error sensitivity analysis is also performed to study the robustness of the algorithm. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.