Uncertainty quantification in the damage assessment of a cable-stayed bridge by means of fuzzy numbers

Cables offer interesting possibilities in bridge design, but are rather susceptible to damage. Since damage in a cable changes its natural vibration frequency, it can be assessed with a vibration-based finite element updating procedure. However, the natural frequency of a cable is also influenced by the temperature, and the measured frequencies are prone to measurement errors. Therefore, it is useful to check the sensitivity of the identified damage with respect to these factors. This paper presents a methodology based on fuzzy numbers to investigate the propagation of measurement errors and uncertainty on the structural temperature throughout the updating procedure.