Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method of monitoring a structure by a monitoring system including at least one strain gauge positioned on the structure and a computer processor coupled to the at least one strain gauge. According to at least one embodiment, strain data are acquired using the at least one strain gauge, and it is determined, by the computer processor, whether the structure has undergone plastic deformation according to the strain data. Further, a result is outputted according to the determination of plastic deformation.

Abstract: A method of monitoring a structure, the method comprising positioning one or more strain gauges on the structure; acquiring strain data with the gauges(s); analyzing the strain data to determine whether the structure has undergone plastic deformation; and providing an output in accordance with the analysis. By analyzing the strain data to determine whether the structure has undergone plastic deformation, a more reliable determination can be made of whether the structure has experienced an excessively high transient loading event such as a hard landing of an aircraft, or the lifting of an excessive load by a crane.