Seismic Damage Identification Method for Curved Beam Bridges Based on Wavelet Packet Norm Entropy

Area of Science:

• Structural Engineering
• Seismic Engineering
• Bridge Health Monitoring

Background:

• Curved beam bridges are crucial in modern infrastructure but are vulnerable to seismic damage due to complex forces.
• Existing research on seismic damage identification for curved bridges is limited.
• Bridge damage can lead to severe safety risks, including casualties and economic losses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel seismic damage identification method for curved beam bridges.
• To enhance the safety and reliability of curved beam bridges under seismic events.
• To address the research gap in seismic damage assessment for these structures.

Main Methods:

• Wavelet packet transform (WPT) to extract damage singularity information.
• Lp norm entropy of wavelet coefficients as a damage characteristic factor.
• Development of a damage index based on WPNE for damage identification.
• Numerical simulations using a finite element model of Curved Continuous Rigid-Frame Bridges (CCRFB).

Main Results:

• The proposed WPNE-based damage index accurately identifies damage location and severity in CCRFB.
• WPNE demonstrates superior performance in damage location and early warning compared to wavelet packet energy methods.
• The WPNE method exhibits significant noise resistance, enabling effective damage identification even with interference.

Conclusions:

• Wavelet packet norm entropy (WPNE) is a feasible and effective method for seismic damage identification in curved beam bridges.
• WPNE offers advantages over traditional methods in terms of accuracy, early warning, and noise immunity.
• This research provides a valuable tool for ensuring the structural integrity of curved bridges.