Structural Health Monitoring
The system responses of structures under real environmental impacts and various load scenarios can be captured using sensors. Digital twins and evaluation methods are being researched to determine the current condition of structures in real-time and to effectively coordinate necessary measures. For example, our studies show that recursive algorithms like the Kalman filter can effectively assist in detecting sudden changes in structural stiffness from sensor data.
Illustration of a structure equipped with a monitoring system that tracks horizontal floor vibrations using sensors. In the top right corner, a sudden change in stiffness is shown, which was detected by an adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter.
Schleiter S, Altay O (2022). Identification and semi-active control of structures with abrupt stiffness degradation. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing. 163:108131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2021.108131