Sensor Validation for Smart Structures

Structures with a large number of embedded sensors are becoming more common, and this refined spatial information can be used to advantage in damage location and model validation. These sensors could be accelerometers, strain gauges, piezoceramic patches, PVDF film sensors, or optical fibre sensors. This approach requires that the sensors be functioning correctly, which on a smart structure operating in the field should be continuous and automatically monitored. This paper considers possible approaches to sensor validation, based on the assumption that a model of the structure is available. The aim is to make use of the natural data redundancy, because there will be more sensors than modes in the data. The validation approaches considered are based on hypothesis testing based on a number of techniques, such as modal filtering. The methods are demonstrated on simple examples that exercise their strengths and weaknesses.