• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.457-468
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• 2023

Buildings, bridges, and dams are examples of civil infrastructure that play an important role in public life. These structures are prone to structural variations over time as a result of external forces that might disrupt the operation of the structures, cause structural integrity issues, and raise safety concerns for the occupants. Therefore, monitoring the state of a structure, also known as structural health monitoring (SHM), is essential. Owing to the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution, next-generation sensors, such as wireless sensors, UAVs, and video cameras, have recently been utilized to improve the quality and efficiency of building forensics. This study presents a method that uses a target-based system to estimate the dynamic displacement and its corresponding dynamic properties of structures using UAV-based video. A laboratory experiment was performed to verify the tracking technique using a shaking table to excite an SDOF specimen and comparing the results between a laser distance sensor, accelerometer, and fixed camera. Then a field test was conducted to validate the proposed framework. One target marker is placed on the specimen, and another marker is attached to the ground, which serves as a stationary reference to account for the undesired UAV movement. The results from the UAV and stationary camera displayed a root mean square (RMS) error of 2.02% for the displacement, and after post-processing the displacement data using an OMA method, the identified natural frequency and damping ratio showed significant accuracy and similarities. The findings illustrate the capabilities and reliabilities of the methodology using UAV to evaluate the dynamic properties of structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.83-102
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• 2011

As a testbed for various structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies, a super-tall structure - the 610 m-tall Guangzhou Television and Sightseeing Tower (GTST) in southern China - is currently under construction. This study aims to explore state-of-the-art wireless sensing technologies for monitoring the ambient vibration of such a super-tall structure during construction. The very nature of wireless sensing frees the system from the need for extensive cabling and renders the system suitable for use on construction sites where conditions continuously change. On the other hand, unique technical hurdles exist when deploying wireless sensors in real-life structural monitoring applications. For example, the low-frequency and low-amplitude ambient vibration of the GTST poses significant challenges to sensor signal conditioning and digitization. Reliable wireless transmission over long distances is another technical challenge when utilized in such a super-tall structure. In this study, wireless sensing measurements are conducted at multiple heights of the GTST tower. Data transmission between a wireless sensing device installed at the upper levels of the tower and a base station located at the ground level (a distance that exceeds 443 m) is implemented. To verify the quality of the wireless measurements, the wireless data is compared with data collected by a conventional cable-based monitoring system. This preliminary study demonstrates that wireless sensing technologies have the capability of monitoring the low-amplitude and low-frequency ambient vibration of a super-tall and slender structure like the GTST.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.727-740
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• 2008

A down hole vertical seismic array is a sequence of instruments installed at various depths in the earth to record the ground motion at multiple points during an earthquake. Numerous studies demonstrate the unique utility of vertical seismic arrays for studying in situ site response and soil behavior. Examples are given of analyses made at two sites to show the value of data from vertical seismic arrays. The sites examined are the Lotung, Taiwan SMART1 array and a new site installed at Jingliao, Taiwan. Details of the installation of the Jingliao array are given. ARX models are theoretically the correct process models for vertical wave propagation in the layered earth, and are used to linearly map deeper sensor input signals to shallower sensor output signals. An example of Event 16 at the Lotung array is given. This same data, when examined in detail with a Bayesian inference model, can also be explained by nonlinear filters yielding commonly accepted soil degradation curves. Results from applying an ARMAX model to data from the Jingliao vertical seismic array are presented. Estimates of inter-transducer soil increment resonant frequency, shear modulus, and damping ratio are presented. The shear modulus varied from 50 to 150 MPa, and damping ratio between 8% and 15%. A new hardware monitoring system - TerraScope - is an affordable 4-D down-hole seismic monitoring system based on independent, microprocessor-controlled sensor Pods. The Pods are nominally 50 mm in diameter, and about 120 mm long. An internal 16-bit micro-controller oversees all aspects of instrumentation, eight programmable gain amplifiers, and local signal storage.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.22-30
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• 2011

In the construction operation, foundation work should be done in advance for the building structure to be installed. This foundation work include a number of activities such as excavation, ground water prevention, piling, wale installation, etc. Caution should be taken in the operation because the dynamics of earth movement can cause a significant failure in the temporary structure. The temporary structure, therefore, should be constantly monitored to understand its behavior. This paper introduces the USN-based monitoring system to automatically identify the behavior of the temporary structure in addition to visual inspection. The autonomous capability of the monitoring system can increase the safety in the construction operation by providing the detailed structural changes of temporary structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

The operation of subway trains induces secondary structure-borne vibrations in the nearby underground spaces. The vibration, along with the associated noise, can cause annoyance and adverse physical, physiological, and psychological effects on humans in dense urban environments. Traditional tethered instruments restrict the rapid measurement and assessment on such vibration effect. This paper presents a novel approach for Wireless Smart Sensor (WSS)-based autonomous evaluation system for the subway train-induced vibrations. The system was implemented on a MEMSIC's Imote2 platform, using a SHM-H high-sensitivity accelerometer board stacked on top. A new embedded application VibrationLevelCalculation, which determines the International Organization for Standardization defined weighted acceleration level, was added into the Illinois Structural Health Monitoring Project Service Toolsuite. The system was verified in a large underground space, where a nearby subway station is a good source of ground excitation caused by the running subway trains. Using an on-board processor, each sensor calculated the distribution of vibration levels within the testing zone, and sent the distribution of vibration level by radio to display it on the central server. Also, the raw time-histories and frequency spectrum were retrieved from the WSS leaf nodes. Subsequently, spectral vibration levels in the one-third octave band, characterizing the vibrating influence of different frequency components on human bodies, was also calculated from each sensor node. Experimental validation demonstrates that the proposed system is efficient for autonomously evaluating the subway train-induced ambient vibration of underground spaces, and the system holds the potential of greatly reducing the laboring of dynamic field testing.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.41-54
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• 2024

Regular monitoring plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of geotechnical structures. Currently, nondestructive methods are employed to monitor such structures to minimize the impact, e.g., sensor-based accelerometers, displacement meters, image-based lasers, and drone imaging. These technologies can observe surface changes; however, they frequently suffer difficulties in terms of identifying changes in internal properties. To monitor changes in internal properties, in situ geotechnical investigations can be employed. A nondestructive test that can be used for this purpose is the spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) test using geophones. The SASW test is a nondestructive method; however, due to the time required for data interpretation and the difficulty in analyzing the data, it is challenging to use the SASW test for monitoring applications that require frequent observations. However, it is possible to apply the first-step analysis, which yields the dispersion curve, for monitoring rather than the complete SASW analysis, which yields the shear wave velocity. Thus, this paper presents a fundamental study on the phase difference that derives the dispersion curve to utilize the SASW test for monitoring. The reliability of each phase difference interval is examined to determine the boundary to the subjected monitor. The study used phase difference data obtained using a geophone from a single-layered, homogeneous ground site to evaluate reliable boundaries. The findings of this study are expected to improve the utility of monitoring by identifying the ideal boundary for phase difference data.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.279-293
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• 1993

In recent yeaes, the collapses of man made structures have been encountered from time to time due to the deformation of the ground in korea. Furthermore, the possibilities of casasters from the ground deformation suCh as landslide and active fault are atrracting our attention to the deformation monitoring. In this study, two-coordinate tilt which was monitored during six months in order to develop tediniques for prevention of disasters from the ground deformation. The two-coordinate tilt which was detected by a tilt-sensor installed in shallow depth on the slope with the sensitivity of 0.0001 arc.sec in every 10 minutes was recorded continously to PC through the interface with 200-m line coonection. The observed digital tilt data. together with the relevant meteorological data were analyzed in reference to engineering application. During the whole observation period of six months, the net tilt is 10.06 arc.sec to the west and 73.88 arc.sec to the south. Consequently the ground has a tilt of 74.56 arc.sec to the direction of $S7.75^{\circ}W$ with average tilting of 0.02 arc.sec/hour. In spite of such fast and large tilting, it is interpreted in view of engineering aspects that the site is much safe from danger, since both East-West and North-South components of tilt converge as time goes by. Two categories of deformational events are recognized ; one is toward the direction of surface slope and the other is to the direction of increased pore pressure. Tiks are acenain to have a close relation with precipitation of rain. The daily variation of two-coordinate tilt is delayed 4.3 hours in average after the variation of atmospheric temperature. A certain correlation between atmospheric pressure and deformation might be revealed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.6
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• pp.589-599
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• 2024

This study presents the usability of the high-rate single-frequency Precise Point Positioning (SF-PPP) technique based on 20 Hz Global Positioning Systems (GPS)-only observations in detecting dynamic motions. SF-PPP solutions were obtained from post-mission and real-time GNSS corrections. These include the International GNSS Service (IGS)-Final, IGS real-time (RT), real-time MADOCA (Multi-GNSS Advanced Demonstration tool for Orbit and Clock Analysis), and real-time products from the Australian/New Zealand satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS, known as SouthPAN). SF-PPP results were compared with LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer) sensor and single-frequency relative positioning (SF-RP) solutions. The findings show that the SF-PPP technique successfully detects the harmonic motions, and the real-time products-based PPP solutions were as accurate as the final post-mission products. In the frequency domain, all GNSS-based methods evaluated in this contribution correctly detect the dominant frequency of short-term harmonic oscillations, while the differences in the amplitude values corresponding to the peak frequency do not exceed 1.1 mm. However, evaluations in the time domain show that SF-PPP needs high-pass filtering to detect accurate displacement since SF-PPP solutions include trends and low-frequency fluctuations, mainly due to atmospheric effects. Findings obtained in the time domain indicate that final, real-time, and MADOCA-based PPP results capture short-term dynamic behaviors with an accuracy ranging from 3.4 mm to 8.5 mm, and SBAS-based PPP solutions have several times higher RMSE values compared to other methods. However, after high-pass filtering, the accuracies obtained from PPP methods decreased to a few mm. The outcomes demonstrate the potential of the high-rate SF-PPP method to reliably monitor structural and earthquake-induced ground motions and vibration frequencies of structures.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2023

Ensuring the stability of visible structures during excavation works are extremely crucial. While the stability of the ground is analyzed through numerical calculations the during design phase, the conditions during construction often differ. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the stability of the wall through measurements. The cost of measurements on the construction site is set at a very low unit price, which increases the risk of accidents involving retaining walls. In this study, we argue for the importance of automated or wireless system measurements of retaining walls, by estimating construction duration and accident costs through the analysis of hypothetical accident cases, and comparing these with measurement costs. In case of a major destruction during excavation work, the accident handling cost could be less than 5% of the total measurement budget. Therefore, increasing the measurement budget to prevent accidents in advance can be economically beneficial.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.271-277
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• 2020

There are increasing cases of monitoring the structural response of structures using multiple sensors. However, owing to cost and management problems, limited sensors are installed in the structure. Thus, few structural responses are collected, which hinders analyzing the behavior of the structure. Therefore, a technique to predict responses at a location where sensors are not installed to a reliable level using limited sensors is necessary. In this study, a numerical study is conducted to predict the seismic response of low-rise buildings using limited information. It is assumed that the available response information is only the acceleration responses of the first and top floors. Using both information, the first natural frequency of the structure can be obtained. The acceleration information on the first floor is used as the ground motion information. To minimize the error on the acceleration history response of the top floor and the first natural frequency error of the target structure, the method for predicting the mass and stiffness information of a structure using the genetic algorithm is presented. However, the constraints are not considered. To determine the range of design variables that mean the search space, the parameter prediction method based on artificial neural networks is proposed. To verify the proposed method, a five-story structure is used as an example.