Damage detection in bilinear plane stress plates using the characteristic parameter method

The residual force vector method is commonly used for damage identification in truss structures but faces challenges when applied to planar plate elements due to their numerous characteristic parameters. To overcome this limitation, an improved method based on multi-characteristic parameter decomposition is proposed for damage identification in complex structural components. The method involves the following key steps: (1) decomposing the matrix element into eigenvalues to simplify the analysis, (2) calculating the stiffness connection matrix using the coordinate relationships of the structure, and (3) determining the damage location and severity by utilizing the damage location matrix and the element eigenvalues. The application of this improved method to a practical example demonstrates its effectiveness in accurately identifying damage, highlighting its potential for real-world structural health monitoring.