Open Access

Structural health monitoring is a big issue of the prevention measure for civil structures in the seismic hazard region. The GIOTTO project aims to develop of the real time monitoring in civil engineering by use of the 6 DOFs sensors. This presented work is part of the GIOTTO Project. BAM offered the idea test structure BLEIB bridge for experiment. This prestressed concrete bridge model benefits us to have the various structural condition with different pre-stress. The passive and active monitoring were carried out. The seismic interferometry technique was considered to extract the virtual wave propagation in the structure comparable to the real impulse response excited by the hammer impact. Meanwhile the ultrasonic measurement was performed during the monitoring. The coda wave interferometry (CWI) was applied to investigate the wave velocity variation in two kinds of scale recordings at different prestressed states. The experimental result approves that the seismological noise- based methods are the appropriate evaluation tool for the measurement data.

This research is to perform passive and active measurements on a large-scale prestressed concrete bridge model under the outdoor condition. Multi sensors were applied to this test structure – BLEIB, which is located at the BAM test site. The experimental evaluation of ultrasonic wave propagation and seismic noise recordings were considered for revealing the bridge damage condition, as a basic for developing a reliable bridge monitoring system.

Ultrasonic measurements have recently been applied in the context of structural health monitoring in civil engineering. The ultrasonic method is very sensitive to environmental conditions and material property changes, which might be caused by prestress losses and loading effects on the bridge. However, it remains a challenge to identify the damage mechanisms causing structural property changes from the above-mentioned factors influencing ultrasonics. The focus of this contribution is to investigate the correlation between ultrasonic velocities and temperature by the coda wave interferometry (CWI) analysis. Long-term monitoring of a prestressed concrete bridge model under field conditions was carried out to observe the effect of temperature. The homogeneous change in concrete caused by temperature was revealed by applying the CWI method. The threshold value of the best correlation coefficients for the linear regression of temperature and ultrasonic velocity changes was also studied. Experimental assessment will provide a ratio for temperature correction to evaluate the prestressing force decrease and its consequences on crack opening or extension.

Weakened structural stiffness is often a consequence of building damage, particularly after severe events such as earthquakes, where compromised structural performance can pose significant risks. To prevent immediate structural failure, an early warning system is essential, which requires inspection of local components. This research aims to achieve that by exploring the wave propagation analysis method, specifically seismic interferometry. Previous studies have applied this method to building structures, treating them as homogeneous layers of grouped floors. By analyzing the wave travel time along the height of these layers, the fundamental period of the building was estimated. However, this approach did not account for local damage or the variability of structural components, similar to the limitations of vibration‐based damage detection methods, which mainly identify global changes. Thus, the goal of this paper is to improve structural health monitoring by examining the sensitivity of wave screening, bridging the gap between nondestructive testing and vibration‐based damage detection. A half‐scale, seven‐story building model, characterized by vertical stiffness irregularity and transverse plan asymmetry, was tested in a laboratory setting. Two vertical sensor arrays were placed near corner columns of different sizes, representing both strong and weak structural areas. These arrays recorded floor accelerations in three directions. The study confirmed the effectiveness of wave propagation analysis for detecting damage along the sensor arrays before and after the earthquake. A transmissibility damage indicator was used to correlate changes in wave velocity, providing a quantitative assessment of damage levels along the wave propagation path.

This presentation is to introduce the research work in the GIOTTO project funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the frame of “early warning of earthquakes” program. The aim of this work is to investigate the application of seismological noise-based monitoring for bridge structures. A large-scale two-span concrete bridge model with a build-in post-tensioning system, which is exposed to environmental conditions, is chosen as our experimental test structure. Ambient seismic noise measurements were carried out under different pre-stressed conditions. Using the seismic interferometry technique, which is applied to the measurement data in the frequency domain, we reconstruct waveforms that relate to wave propagation in the structure. The coda wave interferometry technique is then implemented by comparing two waveforms recorded in two pre-stress states. Any relative seismic velocity changes are identified by determining the correlation coefficients and reveal the influence of the pre-stressing force. The decrease of the wave propagation velocity indicates the loss of the pre-stress and weakening stiffness due to opening or event extension of cracks. We conclude that the seismological methods used to estimate velocity change can be a promising tool for structural health monitoring of civil structures.