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Energy evaluation and passive damage detection for structural health monitoring in aerospace structures using machine learning models

Energy evaluation and passive damage detection for structural health monitoring in aerospace structures using machine learning models
Energy evaluation and passive damage detection for structural health monitoring in aerospace structures using machine learning models

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in aerospace engineering is more and more based on the use of Artificial Intelligence. In this manuscript machine learning algorithms were trained to identify and to characterize the structural effects of impacts on a typical aerospace aluminum panel. A significant experimental campaign was conducted to create suitable impact datasets (the vibrational behavior of the reinforced plate, acquired by piezo sensors). Shallow neural networks, properly trained, were applied to determine critical events affecting the operational conditions. The focus of the manuscript was double: on the severity of the event (a regression problem regarding impact energy) and on the detection of preexisting damage to monitored areas (a classification problem regarding the identification of damaged zones). The scope of this work was to demonstrate the validity of the machine learning approach as an SHM tool for impact effect characterization in a realistic aerospace structure (i.e., energy prediction with a percentage error never more than 10% and identification of previous damaged zones with an accuracy of more than 95%) and to demonstrate its computational efficiency despite the test complexity, provided that the selection of features is guided by a meaningful physical and mechanical interpretation of the underlying phenomena.

artificial neural network, impact characterization, machine learning, regression and classification approaches, Structural Health Monitoring
1424-8220
Nicassio, Francesco
f644457f-7b8b-49b3-ab03-ce4ede216445
Dipietrangelo, Flavio
d0c0c40c-d6cb-4b38-ba67-76c5f7416d36
Gaspari, Antonella
ebe1bf7a-5ccc-4484-ae0e-26c21c168d18
Scarselli, Gennaro
a76cac5f-1cd7-4497-904c-93749650db83
Nicassio, Francesco
f644457f-7b8b-49b3-ab03-ce4ede216445
Dipietrangelo, Flavio
d0c0c40c-d6cb-4b38-ba67-76c5f7416d36
Gaspari, Antonella
ebe1bf7a-5ccc-4484-ae0e-26c21c168d18
Scarselli, Gennaro
a76cac5f-1cd7-4497-904c-93749650db83

Nicassio, Francesco, Dipietrangelo, Flavio, Gaspari, Antonella and Scarselli, Gennaro (2025) Energy evaluation and passive damage detection for structural health monitoring in aerospace structures using machine learning models. Sensors, 25 (16), [4942]. (doi:10.3390/s25164942).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in aerospace engineering is more and more based on the use of Artificial Intelligence. In this manuscript machine learning algorithms were trained to identify and to characterize the structural effects of impacts on a typical aerospace aluminum panel. A significant experimental campaign was conducted to create suitable impact datasets (the vibrational behavior of the reinforced plate, acquired by piezo sensors). Shallow neural networks, properly trained, were applied to determine critical events affecting the operational conditions. The focus of the manuscript was double: on the severity of the event (a regression problem regarding impact energy) and on the detection of preexisting damage to monitored areas (a classification problem regarding the identification of damaged zones). The scope of this work was to demonstrate the validity of the machine learning approach as an SHM tool for impact effect characterization in a realistic aerospace structure (i.e., energy prediction with a percentage error never more than 10% and identification of previous damaged zones with an accuracy of more than 95%) and to demonstrate its computational efficiency despite the test complexity, provided that the selection of features is guided by a meaningful physical and mechanical interpretation of the underlying phenomena.

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sensors-25-04942-v2 - Version of Record
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 8 August 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 August 2025
Published date: 10 August 2025
Keywords: artificial neural network, impact characterization, machine learning, regression and classification approaches, Structural Health Monitoring

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 512269
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/512269
ISSN: 1424-8220
PURE UUID: 9e7aa7ac-2dc6-4cc0-a6cc-4cb2787f476e
ORCID for Gennaro Scarselli: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8652-2998

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Jun 2026 16:39
Last modified: 17 Aug 2026 16:16

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Contributors

Author: Francesco Nicassio
Author: Flavio Dipietrangelo
Author: Antonella Gaspari
Author: Gennaro Scarselli ORCID iD

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