• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.733-749
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• 2020

This study presents a computer vision-based approach for representing time evolution of structural damages leveraging a database of inspection images. Spatially incoherent but temporally sorted archival images captured by robotic cameras are exploited to represent the damage evolution over a long period of time. An access to a sequence of time-stamped inspection data recording the damage growth dynamics is premised to this end. Identification of a structural defect in the most recent inspection data set triggers an exhaustive search into the images collected during the previous inspections looking for correspondences based on spatial proximity. This is followed by a view synthesis from multiple candidate images resulting in a single reconstruction for each inspection round. Cracks on concrete surface are used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Once the chronology is established, the damage severity is quantified at various levels of time scale documenting its progression through time. The proposed scheme enables the prediction of damage severity at a future point in time providing a scope for preemptive measures against imminent structural failure. On the whole, it is believed that the present study will immensely benefit the structural inspectors by introducing the time dimension into the autonomous condition assessment pipeline.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.17-29
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• 2016

Ultrasonic tomography is a powerful tool for identifying defects within an object or structure. But practical application of ultrasonic tomography to solids is often limited by time consuming transducer coupling. Air-coupled ultrasonic measurements may eliminate the coupling problem and allow for more rapid data collection and tomographic image construction. This research aims to integrate recent developments in air-coupled ultrasonic measurements with current tomography reconstruction routines to improve testing capability. The goal is to identify low velocity inclusions (air-filled voids and notches) within solids using constructed velocity images. Finite element analysis is used to simulate the experiment in order to determine efficient data collection schemes. Comparable air-coupled ultrasonic signals are then collected through homogeneous and isotropic solid (PVC polymer) samples. Volumetric (void) and planar (notch) inclusions within the samples are identified in the constructed velocity tomograms for a variety of transducer configurations. Although there is some distortion of the inclusions, the experimentally obtained tomograms accurately indicate their size and location. Reconstruction error values, defined as misidentification of the inclusion size and position, were in the range of 1.5-1.7%. Part 2 of this paper set will describe the application of this imaging technique to concrete that contains inclusions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.365-386
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• 2013

Monitoring systems currently applied to concrete bridges include strain gauges, inclinometers, accelerometers and displacement transducers. In general, vertical displacements are one of the parameters that more often need to be assessed because their information reflects the overall response of the bridge span. However, the implementation of systems to continuously and directly observe vertical displacements is known to be difficult. On the other hand, strain gauges and inclinometers are easier to install, but their measurements provide no more than indirect information regarding the bridge deflection. In this context, taking advantage of the information collected through strain gauges and inclinometers, and the processing capabilities of current computers, a procedure to evaluate bridge girder deflections based on polynomial functions is presented. The procedure has been implemented in an existing software system - MENSUSMONITOR -, improving the flexibility in the data handling and enabling faster data processing by means of real time visualization capabilities. Benefiting from these features, a comprehensive analysis aiming at assessing the suitability of polynomial functions as an approximate solution for deflection curves, is presented. The effect of boundary conditions and the influence of the order of the polynomial functions on the accuracy of results are discussed. Some recommendations for further instrumentation plans are provided based on the results of the present analysis. This work is supported throughout by monitoring data collected from a laboratory beam model and two full-scale bridges.

• 한국구조물진단유지관리공학회 논문집
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2012

철근콘크리트 구조물은 사용연한과 지진 등의 영향으로 균열손상이 주요부재에서 발생되며, 이러한 손상을 보수하기 위해 많은 시간과 노력이 낭비되고 있다. 따라서, 본 연구에서는 소형 리드스위치 센서를 휨시험체 내외부에 매입하거나 부착하여 외력에 의한 균열손상을 스스로 나타내는 스마트 부재에 대하여 연구하였다. 균열손상을 모니터링하기 위해 RF시스템을 리드 스위치센서와 이용하였다. 휨시험체 중앙에 하중이 재하되면 매입되거나 부착된 리드 스위치센서가 파괴되고, 이와 연결된 RF시스템은 손상정보를 전달한다. 본 연구는 무선주파수를 응용한 건축부재의 손상자현 시스템에 대한 기초적 연구이다.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.783-791
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• 2019

Prefabricated reinforced-concrete shear walls are used extensively in building structures because they are convenient to construct and environmentally sustainable. To make large walls easier to transport, they are divided into smaller segments and then assembled at the construction site using a variety of connection methods. The present paper proposes a precast shear wall assembled using steel shear keys, wherein the shear keys are fixed on the embedded steel plates of adjacent wall segments by combined plug and fillet welding. The anchoring strength of shear keys is known to affect the mechanical properties of the wall segments. Loading tests were therefore performed to observe the behavior of precast shear wall specimens with different anchoring components for shear keys. The specimen with insufficient strength of anchoring components was found to have reduced stiffness and lateral resistance. Conversely, an extremely high anchoring strength led to a short-column effect at the base of the wall segments and low deformation ability. Finally, for practical engineering purposes, a design approach involving the safety coefficient of anchoring components for steel shear keys is suggested.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.47-65
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• 2015

A novel finite element (FE) model updating method based on multi-resolution analysis (MRA) is proposed. The true stiffness of the FE model is considered as the superposition of two pieces of stiffness information of different resolutions: the pre-defined stiffness information and updating stiffness information. While the resolution of former is solely decided by the meshing density of the FE model, the resolution of latter is decided by the limited information obtained from the experiment. The latter resolution is considerably lower than the former. Second generation wavelet is adopted to describe the updating stiffness information in the framework of MRA. This updating stiffness in MRA is realized at low level of resolution, therefore, needs less number of updating parameters. The efficiency of the optimization process is thus enhanced. The proposed method is suitable for the identification of multiple irregular cracks and performs well in capturing the global features of the structural damage. After the global features are identified, a refinement process proposed in the paper can be carried out to improve the performance of the MRA of the updating information. The effectiveness of the method is verified by numerical simulations of a box girder and the experiment of a three-span continues pre-stressed concrete bridge. It is shown that the proposed method corresponds well to the global features of the structural damage and is stable against the perturbation of modal parameters and small variations of the damage.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.81-94
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• 2009

A vibration-impedance-based monitoring method is proposed to predict the loss of prestress forces in prestressed concrete (PSC) girder bridges. Firstly, a global damage alarming algorithm using the change in frequency responses is formulated to detect the occurrence of damage in PSC girders. Secondly, a local damage detection algorithm using the change in electro-mechanical impedance features is selected to identify the prestress-loss in tendon and anchoring members. Thirdly, a prestress-loss prediction algorithm using the change in natural frequencies is selected to estimate the extent of prestress-loss in PSC girders. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is experimentally evaluated on a scaled PSC girder model for which acceleration responses and electro-mechanical impedances were measured for several damage scenarios of prestress-loss.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.671-682
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• 2017

In this research, seismic response of pipes is examined by applying nanotechnology and piezoelectric materials. For this purpose, a pipe is considered which is reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and covered with a piezoelectric layer. The structure is subjected to the dynamic loads caused by earthquake and the governing equations of the system are derived using mathematical model via cylindrical shell element and Mindlin theory. Navier-Stokes equation is employed to calculate the force due to the fluid in the pipe. Mori-Tanaka approach is used to estimate the equivalent material properties of the nanocomposite and to consider the effect of the CNTs agglomeration on the scismic response of the structure. Moreover, the dynamic displacement of the structure is extracted using harmonic differential quadrature method (HDQM) and Newmark method. The main goal of this research is the analysis of the seismic response using piezoelectric layer and nanotechnology. The results indicate that reinforcing the pipeline by CNTs leads to a reduction in the displacement of the structure during an earthquake. Also the negative voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer reduces the dynamic displacement.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제23권5호
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• pp.467-478
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• 2019

Composite floor structures formed by continuous slab panels may be susceptible to excessive vibrations, even when properly designed in terms of ultimate limit state criteria. This is due to the inherent vibration characteristics of continuous floor slabs composed by precast orthotropic reinforced concrete panels supported by steel beams. These floor structures display close spaced multimode vibration frequencies and this dynamic characteristic results in a non-trivial vibration problem. Structural stiffening and/or insertion of struts between floors are the usual tentative solution applied to existing vibrating floor structures. Such structural alterations are in general expensive and unsuitable. In this paper, this vibration problem is analyzed on the basis of results obtained from experimental measurements in typical composite floors and their theoretical counterpart obtained with computational modeling simulations. A passive control system composed by multiple synchronized dynamic attenuators (MSDA) was designed and installed in these floor structures and its efficiency was evaluated both experimentally and through numerical simulations. The results obtained from experimental tests of the continuous slab panels under human walking dynamic action proved the effectiveness of this control system in reducing vibrations amplitudes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.337-350
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• 2022

This paper focuses on predicting the post-heating mechanical properties of cementitious composites reinforced with multi-scale additives using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. A total of four different feed-forward ANN models are developed using 261 data sets collected from 18 published sources. The models are optimized using 12 input parameters selected based on a comprehensive literature review to predict the residual compressive strength, the residual flexural strengths, elastic modulus, and fracture energy of heat-damaged cementitious specimens. Furthermore, the ANN is employed to predict the impact of several variables including; the content of polypropylene (PP) microfibers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) used in the concrete, mortar, or paste mix design, length of PP fibers, the average diameter of CNTs, and the average length of CNTs. The influence of the studied parameters is investigated at different heating levels ranged from 25℃ to 800℃. The results demonstrate that the developed ANN models have a strong potential for predicting the mechanical properties of the heated cementitious composites based on the mixing ingredients in addition to the heating conditions.