Open Access

This study aims to develop a real time structural health monitoring method by ultrasonic tests combined with advanced six component (6C) translation and rotation measurements. Conventionally, the investigation of the velocity and acceleration response in the translation direction is used to obtain the eigenfrequencies of structures. Recently the measurement of rotation has been considered to fully characterize the dynamic behavior of structures. This research undertakes the evaluation of a novel 6C sensor (IMU50-iXblue) with components originally developed for navigation for the purpose of bridge monitoring. However, as for all vibration recordings, there is a certain influence of environmental conditions (mainly temperature) which may affect evaluation and the results of structural assessment. We propose applying the cross-correlation function to the 6C ambient vibration signals to reconstruct wave propagation and using coda wave interferometry (CWI) to obtain internal velocity variation from waveforms. A field experiment on a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model is presented. To verify that we are able to identify the pre-stress loss even in presence of temperature effects, we perform measurements in two different scales: the ultrasonic and output-only, vibration measurements. The change in the structural properties due to the pre-stress loss should be detected by the pulse velocity change. The results reveal both the performance and advantages of ultrasonic techniques and the capabilities of 6C sensors. To conclude, the application of CWI to wave signals contributes to a comprehensive assessment for bridge monitoring.

Environmental conditions affect the accuracy of field measurements used to monitor civil structures. Previous studies have shown that measured dynamic responses often lack the sensitivity needed for effective localized damage detection. To address this issue, our study focuses on distinguishing environmental effects from damage related effects in measured data to enhance vibration-based damage identification methods. Experimentally, the problem of prestress loss in a prestressed concrete bridge model was examined. By adjusting the pre-stressing force in a large-scale concrete bridge model, cracking phenomena were observed. To demonstrate field monitoring of a large-scale prestressed structure, noise recording was performed and the measurement data was analyzed with operational modal analysis. Additionally, ultrasonic testing, known for its high sensitivity in damage localization, was used to cross-check the structural damage. Seismic and coda wave interferometry were also employed to estimate wave velocities, providing insights into the level of prestress loss and temperature sensitivity. Ultimately, these measurable wave properties help to overcome the uncertainties associated with traditional vibration-based damage detection methods.