The use of wavelets on the response of a beam to a calibrated vehicle for damage detection

The monitoring of the dynamic properties of a structure as a tool to detect structural damage has been prevalent for some time. The fundamental theory behind this branch of non-destructive testing is that, if a crack was present in a structure it results in a localised loss in stiffness, which leads to a change in the modal properties of the structure. However, while it is reasonably easy to diagnose that a structure has suffered damage, the more challenging problem is to identify its location and severity. In recent years the wavelet transform has been used to locate discontinuities in measurements that could be associated to structural damage. This paper highlights the potential for using the wavelet technique to analyse the response of a beam to the passage of a moving load.