• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.129-137
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• 2007

An algorithm is proposed for estimating axle loads of trucks moving over a bridge by measuring dynamic responses. The bridge was modeled by a beam structure in the current applications of the proposed algorithm. Among the state vectors, measured acceleration was used and displacement was computed from measured strain at the same location. Nodal force vectors were computed by using a ready-made database of equivalent nodal force transformation matrix. The algorithm was examined through simulation studies and laboratory experiments. The effects of measurement noise and velocity error were investigated through simulation studies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.149-172
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• 2014

Four algorithms for damage detection of trusses are presented in this paper. These approaches can detect damage by using both complete and incomplete measurements. The suggested methods are based on the minimization of the difference between the measured and analytical static responses of structures. A non-linear constrained optimization problem is established to estimate the severity and location of damage. To reach the responses, the successive quadratic method is used. Based on the objective function, the stiffness matrix of the truss should be estimated and inverted in the optimization procedure. The differences of the proposed techniques are rooted in the strategy utilized for inverting the stiffness matrix of the damaged structure. Additionally, for separating the probable damaged members, a new formulation is proposed. This scheme is employed prior to the outset of the optimization process. Furthermore, a new tactic is presented to select the appropriate load pattern. To investigate the robustness and efficiency of the authors' method, several numerical tests are performed. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to assess the effect of noisy measurements on the estimated parameters.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2006

In this study, a wavelet-based covariance-driven system identification technique is proposed for damage assessment of structures under ambient excitation. Assuming the ambient excitation to be a white-noise process, the covariance computation is shown to be able to separate the effect of random excitation from the response measurement. Wavelet transform (WT) is then used to convert the covariance response in the time domain to the WT magnitude plot in the time-scale plane. The wavelet coefficients along the curves where energy concentrated are extracted and used to estimate the modal properties of the structure. These modal property estimations lead to the calculation of the stiffness matrix when either the spectral density of the random loading or the mass matrix is given. The predicted stiffness matrix hence provides a direct assessment on the possible location and severity of damage which results in stiffness alteration. To demonstrate the proposed wavelet-based damage assessment technique, a numerical example on a 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) system and an experimental study on a three-story building model, which are all under a broad-band excitation, are presented. Both numerical and experimental results illustrate that the proposed technique can provide an accurate assessment on the damage location. It is however noted that the assessment of damage severity is not as accurate, which might be due to the errors associated with the mode shape estimations as well as the assumption of proportional damping adopted in the formulation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.285-297
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• 1999

A method is presented to find the location and magnitude of damage in a structure using data from dynamic tests. The test data include a combination of natural frequency measurements, taken before and after the occurrence of damage, and response measurements taken after damage. An algorithm is developed to identify localized increases in the flexibility of the structural members. Increases in flexibility are attributed to damage. The algorithm uses the sensitivity of the flexibility matrix to changes in the natural frequencies of the structure to identify the damage. A set of under determined equations is solved using an objective function which is derived from measurements of the system moments. Damage ranging from 10 to 60% increase in the flexibility of a member was successfully identified in a 50 d.o.f. structure, using a small number of natural frequency and velocity measurements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.151-170
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• 2002

Moving force identification is a very important inverse problem in structural dynamics. Most of the identification methods are eventually converted to a linear algebraic equation set. Different ways to solve the equation set may lead to solutions with completely different levels of accuracy. Based on the measured bending moment responses of the bridge made in laboratory, this paper presented the time domain method (TDM) and frequency-time domain method (FTDM) for identifying the two moving wheel loads of a vehicle moving across a bridge. Directly calculating pseudo-inverse (PI) matrix and using the singular value decomposition (SVD) technique are adopted as means for solving the over-determined system equation in the TDM and FTDM. The effects of bridge and vehicle parameters on the TDM and FTDM are also investigated. Assessment results show that the SVD technique can effectively improve identification accuracy when using the TDM and FTDM, particularly in the case of the FTDM. This improved accuracy makes the TDM and FTDM more feasible and acceptable as methods for moving force identification.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2017

The aim of this paper is to present the modulus of elasticity of $E_L$, $E_R$, $E_T$ along three principal axis of softwood dimension lumber by nondestructive method. Ultrasonic measurement was carried out on defect free wood samples taken by the Japanese Larch, SPF (spruce-pine-fir) and Hem-fir $2{\times}4s$. The ultrasound velocities were measured to calculate young's moduli and it was derived elastic constants for each wood samples using the ultrasound velocities and densities of wood. From the test, $E_L$ was much greater than $E_R$ and $E_T$. $E_R/E_T$ ratios were about 1.3. The high density wood had high young's moduli in three principal axis and the difference in young's moduli between species was greater in transverse direction than longitudinal direction. The anisotropy of the lumber was presented through the calculated elastic moduli and compliances matrix in diagonal term were determined by inverting the stiffness matrix.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.4
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• pp.391-405
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• 2019

Compared to the ambient vibration test mainly identifying the structural modal parameters, such as frequency, damping and mode shapes, the impact testing, which benefits from measuring both impacting forces and structural responses, has the merit to identify not only the structural modal parameters but also more detailed structural parameters, in particular flexibility. However, in traditional impact tests, an impacting hammer or artificial excitation device is employed, which restricts the efficiency of tests on various bridge structures. To resolve this problem, we propose a new method whereby a moving vehicle is taken as a continuous exciter and develop a corresponding flexibility identification theory, in which the continuous wheel forces induced by the moving vehicle is considered as structural input and the acceleration response of the bridge as the output, thus a structural flexibility matrix can be identified and then structural deflections of the bridge under arbitrary static loads can be predicted. The proposed method is more convenient, time-saving and cost-effective compared with traditional impact tests. However, because the proposed test produces a spatially continuous force while classical impact forces are spatially discrete, a new flexibility identification theory is required, and a novel structural identification method involving with equivalent load distribution, the enhanced Frequency Response Function (eFRFs) construction and modal scaling factor identification is proposed to make use of the continuous excitation force to identify the basic modal parameters as well as the structural flexibility. Laboratory and numerical examples are given, which validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Furthermore, parametric analysis including road roughness, vehicle speed, vehicle weight, vehicle's stiffness and damping are conducted and the results obtained demonstrate that the developed method has strong robustness except that the relative error increases with the increase of measurement noise.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.157-165
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• 1997

This research aims to develop an algorithm of optimal transducer placement for health monitoring of large structural system. The structural vibration response-based health monitoring is considered one of the best for the system which requires a long-term, continuous monitoring. In its experimental modal testing, however, it is difficult to decide on the measurement locations and their number, especially for complex structures, which have a major influence on the quality of the results. In order to minimize the number of sensing operations and optimize the transducer location while maximizing the accuracy of results, this paper discusses about an optimum transducer placement criterion suitable for the identification of structural damage for continuous health monitoring. As a criterion algorithm, it proposes the Kinetic Energy Optimization Technique (EOT), and then addresses the numerical issues which are subsequently applicable to actual experiment where a bridge model is used. By using the experimental data, it compares the EOT with the EIM(Effective Indefence Method) which is generally used to optimize the transducer placement for the damage identification and control purposes. The comparison conclusively shows that the EOT algorithm proposed in this paper is preferable when a structure is to be instrumented with fewer sensors for monitoring purpose.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.635-658
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• 2005

The possibility of detecting a crack in L-shaped pipes filled with fluid based on measurement of transverse natural frequencies is examined. The problem is solved by representing the crack by a massless rotational spring, simulating the out-of-plane transverse vibration only without solving the coupled torsional vibration and using the transfer matrix method for solution of the governing equation. The theoretical solutions are verified by experiments. The cracks considered are external, circumferentially oriented and have straight front. Pipes made of aluminium and mild steel are tested with water as internal fluid. Crack size to pipe thickness ratio ranging from 0.20 to 0.57 and fluid (gauge) pressure in the range of 0 to 10 atmospheres are examined. The rotational spring stiffness is obtained by an inverse vibration analysis and deflection method. The details of the two methods are given. The results by the two methods are presented graphically and show good agreement. Crack locations are also determined by the inverse analysis. The maximum absolute error in the location is 13.80%. Experimentally determined variation of rotational spring stiffness with ratio of crack size to thickness is utilized to predict the crack sizes. The maximum absolute errors in prediction of crack size are 17.24% and 16.90% for aluminium and mild steel pipes respectively.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2024

To detect and prevent structural damage caused by various loads on marine structures and ships, structural health monitoring procedure is essential. Estimating loads acting on the structures which are measured by sensors that are mounted properly are crucial for structural health monitoring. However, attaching an excessive number of sensors to the structure without consideration can be inefficient due to the high costs involved and the potential for inducing structural instability. In this study, we introduce a method to determine the optimal number of sensors and their optimized locations for strain measurement sensors, allowing for accurate load estimation throughout the structure using model expansion method. To estimate the loads exerted on the entire structure with minimal sensors, we construct a strain-load interpolation matrix using the strain mode shapes of the finite element (FE) model and select the optimal sensor locations by applying D-Optimal Design and the row exchange algorithm. Finally, we estimate the loads exerted on the entire structure using the model expansion method. To validate the proposed method, we compare the results obtained by applying the optimal sensor placement and model expansion method to an FE model subjected to arbitrary loads with the loads exerted on the entire FE model, demonstrating efficiency and accuracy.