Abstract
This paper proposes a method for identifying the location and force history of an impact force acting on plate structures. The identification method is an experimental one so it does not require any analytical model of the structure. The impact location is identified using arrival times of the flexural wave to the PZT sensors. In order to determine the arrival times accurately and rapidly, an analog band-pass filter is used to obtain the wave with a specified frequency. Experimental transfer matrices, which relate the impact force and the sensor responses, are used to identify the force history. Here, the transfer matrices are preconstructed from the measured data obtained by impact tests conducted with an impulse hammer. The force history is identified by minimizing the deviation between the measured sensor responses and the responses estimated from the experimental transfer matrices. In order to verify the validity of the proposed method, impact force identification of aluminum plates and CFRP laminated plates are performed experimentally. The results reveal that the location and force history of the impact force can be identified accurately in real time using the proposed method.
