An Improved Hilbert-Huang Transform for Vibration-Based Damage Detection of Utility Timber Poles

In this study, vibration based non-destructive testing (NDT) technique is adopted for assessing the condition of in-service timber pole. Timber is a natural material, and hence the captured broadband signal (induced from impact using modal hammer) is greatly affected by the uncertainty on wood properties, structure, and environment. Therefore, advanced signal processing technique is essential in order to extract features associated with the health condition of timber poles. In this study, Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) and Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) are implemented to conduct time-frequency analysis on the acquired signal related to three in-service poles and three unserviceable poles. Firstly, mother wavelet is selected for WPT using maximum energy to Shannon entropy ratio. Then, the raw signal is divided into different frequency bands using WPT, followed by reconstructing the signal using wavelet coefficients in the dominant frequency bands. The reconstructed signal is then further decomposed into mono-component signals by Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), known as Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF). Dominant IMFs are selected using correlation coefficient method and instantaneous frequencies of those dominant IMFs are generated using HHT. Finally, the anomalies in the instantaneous frequency plots are efficiently utilised to determine vital features related to pole condition. The results of the study showed that HHT with WPT as pre-processor has a great potential for the condition assessment of utility timber poles.