Comparative study of damage identification algorithms applied to a bridge: II. Numerical study

This paper extends the study of damage identification algorithms summarized in the accompanying paper `Comparative study of damage identification algorithms: I. Experiment' to numerical examples. A finite element model of a continuous three-span portion of the I-40 bridges, which once crossed the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, NM, was constructed. Dynamic properties (resonant frequencies and mode shapes) of the undamaged and damaged bridge that were predicted by the numerical models were then correlated with experimental modal analysis results. Once correlated with the experimental results, eight new damage scenarios were introduced into the numerical model including a multiple damage case. Also, results from two undamaged cases were used to study the possibility that the damage identification methods would produce false-positive readings. In all cases analytical modal parameters were extracted from time-history analyses using signal processing techniques similar to those used in the experimental investigation. This study provides further comparisons of the relative accuracy of these different damage identification methods when they are applied to a set of standard numerical problems.