AbstractIn this paper a new approach is presented to detect damage of transmission tower. Models are created in sap2000,and white noise is adopted as stimulus signal.A number of monitoring points are arranged on primary steels to receipt signal.Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is used to decompose response signal that has occurred in the same position on transmission tower before and after damage. The response signal of various intrinsic mode function is got. shape factor is used to quantitate analysis the response signal of the structure of intrinsic mode functions. To contrast shape factor of the intrinsic mode function of response signal that the structure is damaged before and after. Then it can judge the damage on the structure intuitively. The method can better carry out the transmission tower of the damage identification.