• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.585-599
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• 2016

Steel cables serve as the key structural components in long-span bridges, and the force state of the steel cable is deemed to be one of the most important determinant factors representing the safety condition of bridge structures. The disadvantages of traditional cable force measurement methods have been envisaged and development of an effective alternative is still desired. In the last decade, the vision-based sensing technology has been rapidly developed and broadly applied in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM). With the aid of vision-based multi-point structural displacement measurement method, monitoring of the tensile force of the steel cable can be realized. In this paper, a novel cable force monitoring system integrated with a multi-point pattern matching algorithm is developed. The feasibility and accuracy of the developed vision-based force monitoring system has been validated by conducting the uniaxial tensile tests of steel bars, steel wire ropes, and parallel strand cables on a universal testing machine (UTM) as well as a series of moving loading experiments on a scale arch bridge model. The comparative study of the experimental outcomes indicates that the results obtained by the vision-based system are consistent with those measured by the traditional method for cable force measurement.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.279-293
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• 2019

To ensure high quality data being used for data mining or feature extraction in the bridge structural health monitoring (SHM) system, a practical sensor fault diagnosis methodology has been developed based on the similarity of symmetric structure responses. First, the similarity of symmetric response is discussed using field monitoring data from different sensor types. All the sensors are initially paired and sensor faults are then detected pair by pair to achieve the multi-fault diagnosis of sensor systems. To resolve the coupling response issue between structural damage and sensor fault, the similarity for the target zone (where the studied sensor pair is located) is assessed to determine whether the localized structural damage or sensor fault results in the dissimilarity of the studied sensor pair. If the suspected sensor pair is detected with at least one sensor being faulty, field test could be implemented to support the regression analysis based on the monitoring and field test data for sensor fault isolation and reconstruction. Finally, a case study is adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. As a result, Dasarathy's information fusion model is adopted for multi-sensor information fusion. Euclidean distance is selected as the index to assess the similarity. In conclusion, the proposed method is practical for actual engineering which ensures the reliability of further analysis based on monitoring data.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.561-576
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• 2022

Heritage timber structures represent the history and culture of a nation. These structures have been inherited from previous generations; however, they inevitably exhibit deterioration over time, potentially leading to structural deficiencies. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) offers the potential to assess operational anomalies, deterioration, and damage through processing and analysis of data collected from transducers and sensors mounted on the structure. This paper reports on the design and implementation of a long-term SHM system on the Feiyun Wooden Pavilion in China, a three-story timber building built more than 500 years ago. The principles and features of the design and implementation of SHM systems for heritage timber buildings are systematically discussed. In total, 104 sensors of 6 different types are deployed on the structure to monitor the environmental effects and structural responses, including air temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, structural temperatures, strain, inclination, and acceleration. In addition, integrated data acquisition and transmission subsystem using a newly developed software platform are implemented. Selected preliminary statistical and correlation analysis using one year of monitoring data are presented to demonstrate the condition assessment capability of the system based on the monitoring data.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.601-605
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• 2007

This paper describes the experimental method to monitor the structural integrity. The crack on structures changes the wave propagation characteristics of structures. To monitor this change, frequency dependent variation of dynamic stiffness of beam structures is obtained by using beam transfer function method, and its trends are compared to undamaged one for identifying the location and size of the crack. Piezoelectric actuators were used to generate flexural vibrations. It eliminated various restrictions of continuously measuring wave propagation characteristics and monitoring structural integrity. The structural integrity was identified with minimal number of measurements and smart structures employing PZT actuations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.1382-1385
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• 2007

In this paper, we study about the measuring algorithm that can implement Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) more efficiently by two measurement methods using smart sensor. Through the impedance measurement method, the damage condition of structures on wide area is monitored first, and then it changes the mode to guided wave measurement mode by mode switching algorithm when impedance measurement mode detects abnormal signals. Efficient handling of the real-time data would be available by analyzing location and shape of damage through guided wave measurement.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 2013

We developed a simultaneous strain measurement and damage detection technique using a pair of surface-mounted piezoelectric transducers and a fiber connecting them. This is a novel sensor configuration of the fiber acoustic wave (FAW) piezoelectric transducer. In this study, lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) transducers are installed conventionally on a plate's surface, which is a technique used in many structural health monitoring studies. However, our PZTs are also connected with an optical fiber. A FAW and Lamb wave are simultaneously guided in the optical fiber and the structure, respectively. The dependency of the time-of-flight of the FAW on the applied strain is quantified for strain sensing. In our experimental results, the FAW exhibited excellent linear behavior and no hysteresis with respect to the change in strain. On the other hand, the well-known damage detection function of the surface-mounted PZT transducers was still available by monitoring the waveform change in the conventional Lamb wave ultrasonic path.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.139-152
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• 2009

Globally, civil infrastructures are deteriorating at an alarming rate caused by overuse, overloading, aging, damage or failure due to natural or man-made hazards. With such a vast network of deteriorating infrastructure, there is a growing interest in continuous monitoring technologies. In order to provide a true distributed sensor and control system for civil structures, we are developing a Structural Nervous System that mimics key attributes of a human nervous system. This nervous system is made up of building blocks that are designed based on mechanoreceptors as a fundamentally new approach for the development of a structural health monitoring and diagnostic system that utilizes the recently developed piezo-fibers capable of sensing and actuation. In particular, our research has been focused on producing a sensory nervous system for civil structures by using piezo-fibers as sensory receptors, nerve fibers, neuronal pools, and spinocervical tract to the nodal and central processing units. This paper presents up to date results of our research, including the design and analysis of the structural nervous system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.121-140
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• 2005

This paper presents a systematic investigation of the effect of sensor location on the data quality and subsequently, on the effectiveness of machine health monitoring. Based on an analysis of the signal propagation process from the defect location to the sensor, numerical simulations using finite element modeling were conducted on a bearing test bed to determine the signal strength at several representative sensor locations. The results showed that placing sensors closely to the machine component being monitored is critical to achieving high signal-to-noise ratio, thus improving the data quality. Using millimeter-sized piezoceramic plates, the obtained results were evaluated experimentally. A comparison with a set of commercial vibration sensors verified the developed structural dynamics-based sensor placement strategy. It further demonstrated that the proposed shock wave-based sensing technique provided an effective alternative to vibration measurement, while requiring less space for sensor installation.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.478-491
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• 2019

This work develops a monitoring system for the population with health concerns. A belt integrated with an on-body circuit and sensors measures a wearer's selected vital signals. The electrocardiogram sensors monitor heart conditions and an accelerometer assesses the level of physical activity. Sensed signals are transmitted to the circuit module through digital yarns and are forwarded to a mobile device via Bluetooth. An interactive application, installed on the mobile device, is used to process the received signals and provide users with real-time feedback about their status. Persuasive functions are designed and implemented in the interactive application to encourage users' physical activity. Two signal processing algorithms are developed to analyze the data regarding heart and activity. A user study is conducted to evaluate the performance and usability of the developed system.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.247-252
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• 2014

This paper presents a novel impact sensor which can be fabricated with smart paint made of grapheme. This smart nano paint can be easily installed on structures using a spray-on technique and that can make the sensor low cost and practical. The graphene effectively improves the piezoresistivity of the smart paint and that is available to achieve sensitive impact sensor with high gauge factor. The nano smart-paint can detect sufficient impact to cover the damaged energy range of the composite around 1~3J. The voltage outputs from the sprayed paints show fairly linear responses after signal processing. The impact makes deformation of the structure and it brings change of piezoresistivity of the paint and those converts into voltage output consequently by means of a simple signal processing system. The nano smart paint is lightweight and easily applied to the structural surface, and there is no stress concentration. The nano smart paint is expected to be a cost effective and sensitive multi-functional sensor for composites and other damage monitoring applications in the field of structural health monitoring.