Structural Identification Concept

In this paper, possibilities of identifying important engineering characteristics of the structures using selected inspection and test results are examined. Recently, methods of system identification have been used to obtain a set of differential equations or generalized impulse response functions for the representation of the dynamic behavior of a given structure. It is suggested herein that the characteristics to be thus identified can include such functions as the damage and reliability of the structure at the time of the test and inspection. The general problem of structural identification is formulated and considered. The literature on damage function and reliability functions of structures are reviewed and summarized. Possible applications of various testing procedures including nondestructive and proof-load tests for structural identification purposes are also considered. Finally, the potentially practical implementation of such a methodology is suggested.