• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.787-809
• /
• 2009

Recent interest in the use of wireless sensor networks for structural health monitoring (SHM) is mainly due to their low implementation costs and potential to measure the responses of a structure at unprecedented spatial resolution. Approaches capable of detecting damage using distributed processing must be developed in parallel with this technology to significantly reduce the power consumption and communication bandwidth requirements of the sensor platforms. In this investigation, a damage detection system based on a distributed processing approach is proposed and experimentally validated using a wireless sensor network deployed on two laboratory structures. In this distributed approach, on-board processing capabilities of the wireless sensor are exploited to significantly reduce the communication load and power consumption. The Damage Location Assurance Criterion (DLAC) is used for localizing damage. Processing of the raw data is conducted at the sensor level, and a reduced data set is transmitted to the base station for decision-making. The results indicate that this distributed implementation can be used to successfully detect and localize regions of damage in a structure. To further support the experimental results obtained, the capabilities of the proposed system were tested through a series of numerical simulations with an expanded set of damage scenarios.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.455-474
• /
• 2007

A flexibility-based distributed computing strategy (DCS) for structural health monitoring (SHM) has recently been proposed which is suitable for implementation on a network of densely distributed smart sensors. This approach uses a hierarchical strategy in which adjacent smart sensors are grouped together to form sensor communities. A flexibility-based damage detection method is employed to evaluate the condition of the local elements within the communities by utilizing only locally measured information. The damage detection results in these communities are then communicated with the surrounding communities and sent back to a central station. Structural health monitoring can be done without relying on central data acquisition and processing. The main purpose of this paper is to experimentally verify this flexibility-based DCS approach using wired sensors; such verification is essential prior to implementation on a smart sensor platform. The damage locating vector method that forms foundation of the DCS approach is briefly reviewed, followed by an overview of the DCS approach. This flexibility-based approach is then experimentally verified employing a 5.6 m long three-dimensional truss structure. To simulate damage in the structure, the original truss members are replaced by ones with a reduced cross section. Both single and multiple damage scenarios are studied. Experimental results show that the DCS approach can successfully detect the damage at local elements using only locally measured information.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.350-358
• /
• 2009

In a wireless sensor network (WSN) setting, this paper presents a distributed decision-making framework and illustrates its application in an online structural health monitoring (SHM) system. The objective is to recover a damage severity vector, which identifies, localizes, and quantifies damages in a structure, via distributive and collaborative decision-making among wireless sensors. Observing the fact that damages are generally scarce in a structure, this paper develops a nonlinear 0-norm minimization formulation to recover the sparse damage severity vector, then relaxes it to a linear and distributively tractable one. An optimal algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) and a heuristic distributed linear programming (DLP) algorithm are proposed to estimate the damage severity vector distributively. By limiting sensors to exchange information among neighboring sensors, the distributed decision-making algorithms reduce communication costs, thus alleviate the channel interference and prolong the network lifetime. Simulation results in monitoring a steel frame structure prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.5_6
• /
• pp.561-578
• /
• 2010

This study proposes a multi-level damage localization strategy to achieve an effective damage detection system for civil infrastructure systems based on wireless sensors. The proposed system is designed for use of distributed computation in a wireless sensor network (WSN). Modal identification is achieved using the frequency-domain decomposition (FDD) method and the peak-picking technique. The ASH (angle-between-string-and-horizon) and AS (axial strain) flexibility-based methods are employed for identifying and localizing damage. Fundamentally, the multi-level damage localization strategy does not activate all of the sensor nodes in the network at once. Instead, relatively few sensors are used to perform coarse-grained damage localization; if damage is detected, only those sensors in the potentially damaged regions are incrementally added to the network to perform finer-grained damage localization. In this way, many nodes are able to remain asleep for part or all of the multi-level interrogations, and thus the total energy cost is reduced considerably. In addition, a novel distributed computing strategy is also proposed to reduce the energy consumed in a sensor node, which distributes modal identification and damage detection tasks across a WSN and only allows small amount of useful intermediate results to be transmitted wirelessly. Computations are first performed on each leaf node independently, and the aggregated information is transmitted to one cluster head in each cluster. A second stage of computations are performed on each cluster head, and the identified operational deflection shapes and natural frequencies are transmitted to the base station of the WSN. The damage indicators are extracted at the base station. The proposed strategy yields a WSN-based SHM system which can effectively and automatically identify and localize damage, and is efficient in energy usage. The proposed strategy is validated using two illustrative numerical simulations and experimental validation is performed using a cantilevered beam.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
• /
• 2015.10a
• /
• pp.339-343
• /
• 2015

To rapidly recover ceased functionality of a facility after a catastrophic seismic event, critical decisions on facility repair works are made within a limited period of time. However, prolonged damage assessment of facilities, due to massive damage in the surrounding region and the complicated damage judgment procedures, may impede restoration planning. To assist reliable structural damage estimation without a deep knowledge and rapid interactive analysis among facility damage and restoration operations during the approximate restoration project planning phase, we developed a prototype of distributed facility restoration simulations through the use of high-level architecture (HLA) (IEEE 1516). The simulation prototype, in which three different simulations (including a seismic data retrieval technique, a structural response simulator, and a restoration simulation module) interact with each other, enables immediate damage estimation by promptly detecting earthquake intensity and the restoration operation analysis according to estimated damage. By conducting case simulations and experiments, research outcomes provide key insights into post-disaster restoration planning, including the extent to which facility damage varies according to disaster severity, facility location, and structures. Additional insights arise regarding the extent to which different facility damage patterns impact a project's performance, especially when facility damage is hard to estimate by observation. In particular, an understanding of required type and amount of repair activities (e.g., demolition works, structural reinforcement, frame installation, or finishing works) is expected to support project managers in approximate work scheduling or resource procurement plans.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.735-758
• /
• 2010

The paper proposes two methodologies for damage identification from measured natural frequencies of a contiguously damaged reinforced concrete beam, idealised with distributed damage model. The first method identifies damage from Iso-Eigen-Value-Change contours, plotted between pairs of different frequencies. The performance of the method is checked for a wide variation of damage positions and extents. The method is also extended to a discrete structure in the form of a five-storied shear building and the simplicity of the method is demonstrated. The second method is through smeared damage model, where the damage is assumed constant for different segments of the beam and the lengths and centres of these segments are the known inputs. First-order perturbation method is used to derive the relevant expressions. Both these methods are based on distributed damage models and have been checked with experimental program on simply supported reinforced concrete beams, subjected to different stages of symmetric and un-symmetric damages. The results of the experiments are encouraging and show that both the methods can be adopted together in a damage identification scenario.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.11 no.5
• /
• pp.114-121
• /
• 1995

An ultrasonic technique using normal-incident compressional waves was used to evaluate the surface and subsurface damage in ceramics produced by Hertzian indentation. Damage was produced by a blunt indenter (tungsten carbide ball) in glass-ceramic, green glass and silicon nitride. The damage was classified into two types; (1) Hertzian cone crack, in green glass and fine grain silicon nitride, and (2) distributed subsurface micro fractures, without surface damage, produced in glass ceramic. The ultrasonic technique was successful in detecting cone craks. The measurement results with the Hertzian cone cracks indicated that cracks perpendicular to the surface could be detected by the normal-incident compressional waws. Also shown is the capability of normal-incident compressional waves in detection distributed micro-sized cracks size of subsurface microfractures.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.37-60
• /
• 2008

Structural health monitoring of existing infrastructure is currently an important field of research, where elaborate experimental programs and advanced analytical methods are used in identifying the current state of health of critical and important structures. The paper outlines two methods of system identification of beam-like reinforced concrete structures representing bridges, through static measurements, in a distributed damage scenario. The first one is similar to the stiffness method, re-cast and the second one to flexibility method. A least square error (LSE) based solution method is used for the estimation of flexural rigidities and damages of simply supported, cantilever and propped cantilever beam from the measured deformation values. The performance of both methods in the presence of measurement errors is demonstrated. An experiment on an un-symmetrically damaged simply supported reinforced concrete beam is used to validate the developed method. A method for damage prognosis is demonstrated using a generalized, indeterminate, propped cantilever beam.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.11
• /
• pp.1028-1036
• /
• 2007

A method for measurement and monitoring of mechanical loads in large slender structures such as wind turbine blade and tower is presented based on continuous strain data obtained from distributed fiber optic sensor. An experimental study was carried out on an aluminum cantilever beam. A static load test was performed and the calculated moment from the distributed fiber optic sensor agree well with the actual applied moment. A series of damages was inflicted on the beam, and vibration tests were carried out for each damage case. The estimated natural frequencies from the distributed fiber optic sensor for each damage case are found to compare well with those from a conventional accelerometer and a numerical analysis based on an energy method.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.319-341
• /
• 2009

A new formulation based on lumped plasticity and inelastic hinges is presented in this paper for nonlinear analysis of Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame structures. Inelastic hinge behaviour is described using the principles of Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM). Member formulation contains provisions to model stiffness degradation due to cracking of concrete and yielding of reinforcing steel. Depending on its nature, cracking is classified as concentrated or distributed. Concentrated cracking is accounted through a damage variable and its growth is defined based on strain energy principles. Presence of distributed flexural cracks in a member is taken care of by modelling it as non-prismatic. Plasticity theory supported by effective stress concept of CDM is applied to describe the post-yield response. Nonlinear quasi-static analysis is carried out on a RC column and a wide two-storey RC frame to verify the formulation. The column is subjected to constant axial load and monotonic lateral load while the frame is subjected to only lateral load. Computed results are compared with those due to experiments or other numerical methods to validate the performance of the formulation and also to highlight the contribution of distributed cracking on global response.