Experimental investigation of modulation transfer technique for damage detection of structures

The damage detection in structures using modulation transfer phenomena is a topic of increasing interest. However, the lack of comprehensive knowledge and established signal processing methods have hindered its widespread application. This paper explores the potential of the modulation transfer phenomenon for damage localisation by conducting experiments on test stands with two structures: a damaged and an undamaged beam. A well-defined procedure for processing response signals and damage indicators was established. Before the experiments, modal analysis was conducted to select the appropriate excitation frequency. The presented results include spectra and trends of the damage indicators, demonstrating the viability of using the modulation transfer phenomenon for damage localisation. Furthermore, the vibroacoustic modulation phenomenon was observed during the tests. These findings underscore the potential of modulation transfer techniques in structural health monitoring applications.