With the development and large-scale integration of mechanical systems in aerospace, civil engineering, complex equipment, and so forth, the performance, reliability, and health condition has attracted more and more attention. Structural health monitoring is one efficient measure in enhancing the maintenance and operation of mechanical systems by supporting high-performance and high-reliability. Currently, the use of vibration and acoustical methods is prevailing to evaluate their performance. It is thus urgent to develop new techniques based on vibration and acoustical characteristics to improve performance and reliability and prolong life-span. Theoretical, analytical, and experimental investigations based on vibration and acoustics will advance the body of knowledge and its application for structural health monitoring with respect to structural dynamics, nonlinear vibrations, time series modelling, strategies for civil, mechanical, and aerospace systems, sensor system design, mathematical modelling, computer simulation, optimization techniques, and new applications of vibration and acoustics.

However, theory, method, and model are the key challenges and directly determinate the applicability and effectiveness of structural health monitoring such as fault diagnosis, life prediction, reliability evaluation, safety analysis, and so forth, in maintaining and enhancing the health of mechanical systems.

This Special Issue shall focus on the state-of-the-art latest advances and future trends of vibrational and acoustical methods in the field of structural health monitoring. The aims of this Special Issue are to provide new theories, methods, and models based on vibration and acoustical technologies for structural health monitoring for complex mechanical structures and systems. Original research and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Intelligent technologies for fault diagnosis and prediction, condition monitoring, and performance evaluation based on vibration and acoustical methods
• Intelligent control system-based vibration and acoustical methods for structural health monitoring
• Advanced sensing and data acquisition techniques for structural health monitoring
• Big data analytics for analysis, simulation, and modelling for structural health monitoring via vibration and acoustical methods
• Decision support and simulation-based vibration and acoustics to improve structural health monitoring
• Maintenance/reliability modelling and optimization based on vibration and acoustical characteristics