Damage identification relying on low-frequency vibrational responses, usually lower than 4th order natural frequencies or so, has dominated the area of vibration-based structural damage diagnosis over recent decades, primarily owing to the limited capacity of traditional apparatus in vibration measurement. In this respect, it is commonly acknowledged that low-frequency vibrational responses are insensitive to small damage; moreover, small damage is more easily accommodated by higher-frequency vibrational responses. This recognition has motivated the development of damage identification methods based on higher-frequency vibrational responses. Currently, new advanced instrumentation typified by the scanning laser vibrometer (SLV) has made it possible to measure high-frequency vibrational responses of a structure precisely and accurately, providing the opportunity to develop damage identification methods using high-frequency (here beyond 4th order) vibrational responses. These high-frequency methods hold promise for solving the critical problem: detection of incipient damage, most crucial for ensuring structural safety. Nevertheless, unlike methods using low-frequency vibrational responses, damage identification relying on high-frequency vibrational responses poses a series of new theoretical and numerical issues that need to be clarified.

We invite investigators to submit original research outcomes and review articles that concern various aspects of damage identification relying on high-frequency vibrational responses, including analytical modelling of high-frequency vibration of damaged structural elements; numerical simulation of high-frequency vibration of complex structures; philosophies and approaches for damage detection, localization, and quantification using high-frequency vibrational responses; suppression of high-frequency noise for damage visualization; and so on.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Analytical modelling of high-frequency vibration of cracked beams
• Semianalytical evaluation of high-order modes of cracked beams/plates/shells
• Efficient finite element methods for simulation of high-frequency vibration
• Damage feature extraction from high-frequency vibrational responses
• Damage detection using high-order mode shape curvature
• Delineation of concealed damage using imaged high-frequency vibration
• Damage characterization using high-frequency operating deflection shapes
• Multiple-domain filtering for improved damage visualization
• Optimal placement of excitation for intensification of damage effect
• Suppression of noise in high-resolution vibration measurement