DAMAGE DETECTION AND HEALTH MONITORING OF LARGE SPACE STRUCTURES

This paper describes the development of a damage detection and health monitoring approach for large space structures using on-orbit modal identification. Several existing model updating methods and model reduction/expansion techniques were evaluated. A new approach to match the order of the undamaged analytical model and the damaged test modes was developed. Two numerical simulation models were initially employed to evaluate practical issues in onorbit modal testing such as measurement noise, number of test modes identified, and limited number of measurements. To experimentally validate the proposed damage detection approach, a ten-bay hexagonal truss with limited instrumentation was tested and analyzed. Damage indicators located the general areas of damage to the truss which reduces time required for detailed structural inspection. Procedures developed for the damage detection are also directly applicable to test/dynamic math model correlation.