An inverse damage location problem applied to AS-350 rotor blades using bat optimization algorithm and multiaxial vibration data

• Published in: Mechanical systems and signal processing Vol. 145; p. 106932
• Main Authors: Ferreira Gomes, Guilherme, Souza Chaves, João Artur, de Almeida, Fabricio Alves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Algorithms; Bat optimization algorithm; Computer simulation; Damage detection; Damage identification; Evaluation; Finite element method; Helicopter rotor blade; Helicopters; Identification methods; Inverse problem; Inverse problems; Modal response; Noise measurement; Nonlinear response; Optimization; Optimization algorithms; RSM; Site selection; Structural damage; Structural health monitoring; Variance analysis; Helicopter rotor blade; Damage identification; Structural health monitoring; Bat optimization algorithm; RSM; Inverse problem
• ISSN: 0888-3270; 1096-1216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ymssp.2020.106932

•Structural damage identification in AS-350 helicopter rotor blades.•Design of experiments applied to structural health monitoring systems.•Analysis of variance displays the most significant mode shapes.•Damage identified by bat optimization algorithm. In this study, a damage identification method is proposed using both the finite element method and the bat optimization algorithm applied to the AS-350 helicopter main rotor blade. First, the structure is numerically modeled and evaluated with and without the presence of induced damages. In a second approach, an inverse problem of optimization is constructed in order to identify certain damages in terms of its position and severity level. Three different objective functions are evaluated according to the modal parameters of the rotor blade (vibrations in x, y and z directions). Numerical results, through analysis of variance, showed that local damage significantly modifies the modal response into a non-linear aspect. The modal response used was able to identify, with great efficiency, the actual (noise simulated) damages induced in terms of location and severity. Accordingly, a damage identification method is developed in order to better handle any measurement data (to find/regarding) structural changes (or damages) in complex aerospace structures. The obtained results from these numerical examples indicate that the proposed approach can detect true damage locations and estimate damage magnitudes with satisfactory accuracy, even under high measurement noise.