• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.187-206
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• 2011

This paper uses dynamic computer simulation techniques to develop and apply a multi-criteria procedure using non-destructive vibration-based parameters for damage assessment in truss bridges. In addition to changes in natural frequencies, this procedure incorporates two parameters, namely the modal flexibility and the modal strain energy. Using the numerically simulated modal data obtained through finite element analysis of the healthy and damaged bridge models, algorithms based on modal flexibility and modal strain energy changes before and after damage are obtained and used as the indices for the assessment of structural health state. The application of the two proposed parameters to truss-type structures is limited in the literature. The proposed multi-criteria based damage assessment procedure is therefore developed and applied to truss bridges. The application of the approach is demonstrated through numerical simulation studies of a single-span simply supported truss bridge with eight damage scenarios corresponding to different types of deck and truss damage. Results show that the proposed multi-criteria method is effective in damage assessment in this type of bridge superstructure.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.16-22
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• 2015

This paper presents an automated computer vision-based system to update BIM data by leveraging multi-modal visual data collected from existing buildings under inspection. Currently, visual inspections are conducted for building envelopes or mechanical systems, and auditors analyze energy-related contextual information to examine if their performance is maintained as expected by the design. By translating 3D surface thermal profiles into energy performance metrics such as actual R-values at point-level and by mapping such properties to the associated BIM elements using XML Document Object Model (DOM), the proposed method shortens the energy performance modeling gap between the architectural information in the as-designed BIM and the as-is building condition, which improve the reliability of building energy analysis. Several case studies were conducted to experimentally evaluate their impact on BIM-based energy analysis to calculate energy load. The experimental results on existing buildings show that (1) the point-level thermography-based thermal resistance measurement can be automatically matched with the associated BIM elements; and (2) their corresponding thermal properties are automatically updated in gbXML schema. This paper provides practitioners with insight to uncover the fundamentals of how multi-modal visual data can be used to improve the accuracy of building energy modeling for retrofit analysis. Open research challenges and lessons learned from real-world case studies are discussed in detail.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2000

Identification of damage location based on modal measurement is an important problem in structural health monitoring. The damage index method that attempts to evaluate the changes in modal strain energy distribution has been found to be effective under certain circumstances. In this paper two damage index methods using bending strain energy and shear strain energy have been evaluated for numerous cases at different locations and degrees of damage. The objective is to evaluate the feasibility of the damage index method to localize the damage on large span concrete bridge. Finite element models were used as the test structures. Finally this method was used to predict the damage location in an actual structure, using the results of a modal survey from a large concrete bridge.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.125-147
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• 2020

Damage detection of structures is one of the most important topics in structural health monitoring. In practice, the response is not available at all structural degrees of freedom, and due to the installation of sensors at some degrees of freedom, responses exist only in limited number of degrees of freedom. This paper is investigated the damage detection of structures by applying two approaches, AllDOF and Dynamic Condensation Method (DCM), based on the Modified Modal Strain Energy Method (MMSEBI). In the AllDOF method, mode shapes in all degrees of freedom is available, but in the DCM the mode shapes only in some degrees of freedom are available. Therefore by methods like the DCM, mode shapes are obtained in slave degrees of freedom. So, in the first step, the responses at slave degrees of freedom extracted using the responses at master degrees of freedom. Then, using the reconstructed mode shape and obtaining the modified modal strain energy, the damages are detected. Two standard examples are used in different damage cases to evaluate the accuracy of the mentioned method. The results showed the capability of the DCM is acceptable for low mode shapes to detect the damage in structures. By increasing the number of modes, the AllDOF method identifies the locations of the damage more accurately.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2019

This paper addresses the problem of damage detection in suspension bridge hangers, with an emphasis on the modal flexibility method. It aims at evaluating the capability and the accuracy of the modal flexibility method to detect and locate single and multiple damages in suspension bridge hangers, with different level of severity and various locations. The study is conducted numerically and experimentally on a laboratory suspension bridge mock-up. First, the covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification is used to extract the modal parameters of the bridge from experimental data, using only output measurements data from ambient vibration. Then, the method is demonstrated for several damage scenarios and compared against other classical methods, such as: Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion (COMAC), Enhanced Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion (ECOMAC), Mode Shape Curvature (MSC) and Modal Strain Energy (MSE). The paper demonstrates the relative merits and shortcomings of these methods which play a significant role in the damage detection ofsuspension bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.105-119
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• 2015

Structural damage detection using modal strain energy (MSE) is one of the most efficient and reliable structural health monitoring techniques. However, some of the existing MSE methods have been validated for special types of structures such as beams or steel truss bridges which demands improving the available methods. The purpose of this study is to improve an efficient modal strain energy method to detect and quantify the damage in complex structures at early stage of formation. In this paper, a modal strain energy method was mathematically developed and then numerically applied to a fixed-end beam and a three-story frame including single and multiple damage scenarios in absence and presence of up to five per cent noise. For each damage scenario, all mode shapes and natural frequencies of intact structures and the first five mode shapes of assumed damaged structures were obtained using STRAND7. The derived mode shapes of each intact and damaged structure at any damage scenario were then separately used in the improved formulation using MATLAB to detect the location and quantify the severity of damage as compared to those obtained from previous method. It was found that the improved method is more accurate, efficient and convergent than its predecessors. The outcomes of this study can be safely and inexpensively used for structural health monitoring to minimize the loss of lives and property by identifying the unforeseen structural damages.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.532-536
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• 2015

This paper presents an automated computer vision-based system to update BIM data by leveraging multi-modal visual data collected from existing buildings under inspection. Currently, visual inspections are conducted for building envelopes or mechanical systems, and auditors analyze energy-related contextual information to examine if their performance is maintained as expected by the design. By translating 3D surface thermal profiles into energy performance metrics such as actual R-values at point-level and by mapping such properties to the associated BIM elements using XML Document Object Model (DOM), the proposed method shortens the energy performance modeling gap between the architectural information in the as-designed BIM and the as-is building condition, which improve the reliability of building energy analysis. The experimental results on existing buildings show that (1) the point-level thermography-based thermal resistance measurement can be automatically matched with the associated BIM elements; and (2) their corresponding thermal properties are automatically updated in gbXML schema. This paper provides practitioners with insight to uncover the fundamentals of how multi-modal visual data can be used to improve the accuracy of building energy modeling for retrofit analysis. Open research challenges and lessons learned from real-world case studies are discussed in detail.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2002

Investigated in this study are the modal characteristics of the eccentric cylindrical shells with fluid-filled annulus. Theoretical method is developed to find the natural frequencies of the shell using the finite Fourier expansion, and their results are compared with those of finite element method to verify the validation of the method developed. The effect of eccentricity on the modal characteristics of the shells is investigated using a finite element modeling.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.415-448
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• 2014

A method is presented in this paper to analyze the dynamic response behavior of suspended building structures. The effect of semi-rigid connections that link suspended floors with their supporting structure on structural performance is investigated. The connections, like the restrains in non-structural suspended components, are designed as semi-rigid to avoid pounding and as energy dissipation components to reduce structural response. Parametric study is conducted to assess the dynamic characteristics of suspended building structures with varying connection stiffness and suspended mass ratios. Modal analysis is applied to identify the two distinct sets of vibration modes, pendulum and bearing, of a suspended building structure. The cumulative modal mass is discussed to ensure the accuracy in applying the method of response spectrum analysis by SRSS or CQC modal combination. Case studies indicate that a suspended building having semi-rigid connections and proper suspended mass ratios can avoid local pounding failure and reduce seismic response.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.328-341
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• 2000

Investigated in this study are the modal characteristics of the coaxial cylindrical shells with fluid-filled annulus. Theoretical method is developed to find the natural frequencies of the shell using the finite Fourier series expansion, and their results are compared with those of finite element method to verify the validation of the method developed. The effect of the fluid-filled annulus and the boundary conditions on the modal characteristics of the coaxial shells is investigated using a finite element modeling.