Structural health monitoring at the civil infrastructure: Recent progress & future demands: Fid-Bau Portal

Structural health monitoring at the civil infrastructure: Recent progress & future demands

Furtner, Peter / Wenzel, Helmut

Health monitoring for civil engineering structures is a challenge. Our structures are a prototype each and show small safety margins and a great exposure to the public. Bridges for example were the backbone of powerful empires from China to Rome and the Incas in America. Currently the transportation infrastructure is directly related to the economic success of a nation. All these facts make structural health monitoring of civil engineering structures more difficult than any monitoring of a well defined mechanical structure. The major number of uncertainties in geometry, material properties and the influence of the environment might have a higher impact on monitoring results than any minor damage. Therefore only complex approaches under consideration and compensation of the already known phenomena will be successful. This requires a more or less scientific approach. Nevertheless an appropriate focus on the end-users needs must not be forgotten to achieve a more widespread implementation and to increase the acceptance by the clients. The construction sector is conservative. The implementation of new technologies needs a clear requirement and motivation to be accepted by owners and operators. It has been recognized that the current practice does not satisfy the needs of shrinking budgets and aging structures. Before a breakthrough in implementation of new technologies can happen, the requirements and motivation have to be clearly understood and argued against potential clients. Three main drivers might be approached in the promotion of structural health monitoring. The motivation to apply and order services based on the new technologies can be: Responsibility driven, which means the new methods to become standard applications supported by codes, standards and guidelines. Economically driven motivations, such as situations where a ranking of structures to be rehabilitated is necessary because of insufficient budget available or the need to use a structure for a certain time period longer than designed. Curiosity driven motivations comprise those cases where clients would like to know more about their important and complicated structures. Results can also lead to better planning for future structures. This paper discusses which requirements can be derived from these motivations and what services are requested from the technology providers.