Impact point localization in three-dimensional structures using wavelet transform

Impact-induced anomalies such as travelling waves can be found in many devices or structures. This article provides an experimental method to localize a point of impact in three-dimensional structures using an array of redundant sensors. Concurrent measurement of vibration waveforms in moving measurement points and stationary reference allows determining the times of arrival of the travelling wave and, more importantly, times of arrival relative to the reference. These relative times of arrival allow for employing more measurement points than channels in the data acquisition system. This work proposes a modified method to estimate the times of arrival by combining continuous wavelet transform with optimal interval partitioning. The work also considers that the path between the impact and the measurement point depends on the properties of the structure, causing apparent wave speeds to differ across the measurement points. Therefore, regular triangulation and multilateration methods, which assume equal wave speeds, offer a reduced accuracy. The localization is solved as a constraint optimization problem considering variable apparent speeds.