Abstract
This work introduces a novel methodology for identifying critical sensor locations and detecting defects in structural components. Initially, a hybrid method is proposed to determine optimal sensor placements by integrating results from both the discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM) and the random permutation features importance technique (PI). Subsequently, the identified sensors are utilized in a novel defect detection approach, leveraging a semi-intrusive reduced order modeling and genetic search algorithm for fast and reliable defect detection. The proposed algorithm has successfully located defects with low error, especially when using hybrid sensors, which combine the most critical sensors identified through both PI and DEIM. This hybrid method identifies defects with the lowest errors compared to using either the PI or DEIM methods alone.