Time-Frequency Feature Extraction and Modal Component Reconstruction for Structural Dynamic Monitoring Using MTM-eNTFT

Field-measured structural responses are often noisy, multicomponent, nonstationary, and finite in length, complicating dominant-frequency identification, component extraction, and time-frequency characterization. This study develops an MTM-assisted Normal Time-Frequency Transform procedure with multiscale permutation entropy (MPE)-guided endpoint extension, termed MTM-eNTFT, to improve target-frequency-band determination and mitigate boundary-related reconstruction errors. Multitaper spectral estimation is used to determine stable target-frequency regions, while MPE-guided endpoint extension is used before band-limited NTFT reconstruction. Under the investigated simulation conditions, MTM-eNTFT provides more accurate component reconstruction, better noise suppression, and smaller boundary-related reconstruction errors than conventional NTFT, CEEMDAN, VMD, and SET. The reconstructed signal yields an RMSE below 0.08, a Pearson correlation coefficient over 0.98, and an SNR improvement of about 19 dB relative to the noisy input. The method is also applied to a selected continuous 15-min X-direction acceleration record acquired at a roof-corner sensor of a 68-storey building in Hong Kong during a high-wind event. Two dominant frequency components centered at approximately 0.208 and 0.965 Hz are extracted. Their energy increases between approximately 130 and 460 s, possibly indicating a temporary increase in the measured dynamic response. The results indicate the applicability of MTM-eNTFT to component extraction and time-frequency characterization of noisy finite-length structural-response records.