A unity check method is presented to detect and locate structural damage. The unity check between the analytical stiffness matrix of an undamaged structure and the flexibility matrix derived from modal data measured from a modal survey test conducted at a later time, on the same structure, can locate the damaged areas. The least squares solution to the partitioned unity check equation is then used to determine the magnitudes of stiffness reductions in the damaged areas. Effectiveness of the method is demonstrated through numerical examples.
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