A general procedure for estimating dynamic displacements using strain measurements and operational modal analysis

Measurement systems are being installed in more and more civil structures with the purpose of monitoring the general dynamic behavior of the structure. The instrumentation is typically done with accelerometers, where experimental frequencies and mode shapes can be identified using modal analysis and used in health monitoring algorithms. But the use of accelerometers is not suitable for all structures. Structures like wind turbine blades and wings on airplanes can be exposed to lightning, which can cause the measurement systems to fail. Structures like these are often equipped with fiber sensors measuring the in-plane deformation. This paper proposes a method in which the displacement mode shapes and responses can be predicted using only strain measurements. The method relies on the newly discovered principle of local correspondence, which states that each experimental mode can be expressed as a unique subset of finite element modes. In this paper the technique is further developed to predict the mode shapes in different states of the structure. Once an estimate of the modes is found, responses can be predicted using the superposition of the modal coordinates weighted by the mode shapes. The method is validated with experimental tests on a scaled model of a two-span bridge installed with strain gauges. Random load was applied to simulate a civil structure under operating condition, and strain mode shapes were identified using operational modal analysis.