A wavelet based damage identification method for beam like structures is presented in this paper. Mode shapes and modal strains of a reinforced concrete beam with three damage scenarios were analyzed through wavelet transform and the results were compared. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) and the correlation coefficient deviation metric (CCDM) is used to evaluate damage severities. Results show that the wavelet coefficients and CCDM index of modal strains are significantly more sensitive for damage detection than mode shapes and, consequently, it is very simple to classify the structure as healthy or damaged.

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