SHM-based structural deterioration assessment

Irrespective of how well structures are built, they all deteriorate. Herein, deterioration is defined as a slow and continuous reduction of structural performance, which if prolonged, can lead to structural damage and failure. Deterioration can be seen as a slow and progressive loss of steel-concrete bond strength, crisp corrosion of reinforcement and internal cracks on structural members. Whereas damage can be defined as sudden structural changes, such as sudden major cracks or sudden loss of a part of a cross-section.

To avoid the structural damage and failure because of deterioration, as well as to extend the life expectancy of structures, long-term monitoring and health assessment can assist to maintain and improve structural performance. This study developed an effective vibration-based method to identify deterioration in real-world structures by proposing a novel vibration-based deterioration assessment methodology. The response data from different numerically simulated case studies (reinforced concrete (RC) shear frames) contaminated with different noise content demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method. Multiple deterioration locations, damages, and preventive maintenance actions are also considered in these case studies. Furthermore, the method was successfully verified utilizing measured data from an experiment carried out on a box-girder bridge (BGB) structure and a three-storey benchmark bookshelf structure. Ultimately, the efficiency of the developed deterioration identification methodology was demonstrated using sensor data from a real-world instrumented building.