Boundary element and wavelet transform methods for damage detection in 2D structures

• Published in: International journal of computational methods in engineering science and mechanics 2019-05, Vol.20 (3), p.242-255
• Main Authors: Silva, Ramon S. Y. R. C., Bezerra, Luciano M., Peña, Luiz A. P., Gomes, Gilberto, V. da Silva, Welington
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundary elements; damage detection; wavelet transforms
• ISSN: 1550-2287; 1550-2295
• DOI: 10.1080/15502287.2019.1631407

The detection of damages inside structures is of great importance because damages may be critical for serviceability and safety of structural elements. Only two reliable techniques for nondestructive examination of structures, ultrasonic and x-ray may be applied in practice for the precise location of subsurface damages. However, such techniques are expensive, time consuming, and require special procedures for their application. Current researches point toward the possible use of numerical-computational methods in assisting the detection of damages inside structures. In general, numerical methods for detecting damages, like cracks are based on Finite Element modeling and comparisons between the structures´ signatures or responses before and after damage has occurred. In this paper, the Boundary Element Method is associated with Wavelet Transform to detect damages in structures. With this association, numerical modeling of structures is more precise, simpler, and does not require the structure signature before the occurrence of the crack. After presenting the proposed numerical technique, the paper shows applications concerning the detection of subsurface cracks in structures subjected to static loads. Single and multi-cracks with different orientations inside two-dimensional structures with different support conditions are investigated. The results show the proposed numerical procedure is effective in indicating the location of damages.