Multi-objective sensor placement optimization and damage identification for an aircraft wing using Lichtenberg algorithm

PurposeThis study aims to apply for the first time in literature a new multi-objective sensor selection and placement optimization methodology based on the multi-objective Lichtenberg algorithm and test the sensors' configuration found in a delamination identification case study.Design/methodology/approachThis work aims to study the damage identification in an aircraft wing using the Lichtenberg and multi-objective Lichtenberg algorithms. The former is used to identify damages, while the last is associated with feature selection techniques to perform the first sensor placement optimization (SPO) methodology with variable sensor number. It is applied aiming for the largest amount of information about using the most used modal metrics in the literature and the smallest sensor number at the same time.FindingsThe proposed method was not only able to find a sensor configuration for each sensor number and modal metric but also found one that had full accuracy in identifying delamination location and severity considering triaxial modal displacements and minimal sensor number for all wing sections.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates for the first time in the literature how the most used modal metrics vary with the sensor number for an aircraft wing using a new multi-objective sensor selection and placement optimization methodology based on the multi-objective Lichtenberg algorithm.