Robust change detection in highly dynamic guided wave signals with singular value decomposition

Abstract

Ultrasonic guided waves are sensitive to small scatterers and can, in principle, be used to detect damage in pipe structures. However, pipes are often subjected to varying environmental and operational conditions (EOC), which can produce false positives or mask the change of interest. We apply singular value decomposition as a robust change detection method in ultrasonic signals. We test the methods on experimental data collected in a realistic highly dynamic environment, and show successful detection of a mass scatterer as a physical simulation of damage. We also compare our method to two other change detection methods that are robust to EOC.