Optimal sensor placement based on sensitivity of damage parameters

In this paper, an alternative method is presented to decide the optimal sensor number based on sensitivity. According to different influence ranges of different damage parameters and the degree of damage in each element and damage index, the minimum number of sensors and their placement can be found by sensitivity and genetic algorithms. Computational simulation of a 19-DOF simply supported beam is implemented with this method to evaluate the minimum number of sensors of different damage parameters. Moreover, damage location can be detected under single-damage situation and the element with the most severe damage can be identified in multi-damage case by the proposed sensor placement.