In this study, the hardening process of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) was monitored non-destructively using a single embedded sensor system and the characteristics of guided waves, especially the Lamb wave. Lamb wave propagation depends on the material properties of the medium and boundary conditions. Since the boundary conditions of the embedded sensor system continuously change during the hardening process of concrete materials, the measured characteristics of the propagating waves also vary. To understand the variations in wave propagation, the Lamb modes were decomposed using the polarization characteristics of piezoelectric sensors, which were used to measure wave responses. Additionally, a traditional penetration resistance method was adopted to estimate the time for phase transition of UHPC. The decomposed Lamb modes were compared to measurements of penetration resistance. The strength development of UHPC, with and without short-fiber reinforcement, was estimated using the variation of patterns of the decomposed Lamb modes after the phase transition. Based on the proposed methodology, which measures the propagation and variation of the Lamb waves, it is possible to estimate the time of phase transition and the strength development of UHPC.
In this research, a noncontact nondestructive testing (NDT) method is proposed to detect the fatigue crack and to identify the location of the damage. To achieve this goal, Lamb wave propagation of a plate-like structure is analyzed, which is induced by scanning laser source actuation system. A ND: YAG pulsed laser system is used to generate Lamb wave exerted at the multiple points of the plate and a piezoelectric sensor is installed to measure the structural responses. Multiple time signals measured by the piezoelectric sensor are aligned along the vertical and horizontal axes corresponding to laser impinging points so that 3 dimensional data can be constructed. Then, the 3 dimensional data is sliced along the time axis to visualize the wave propagation. The scattering of Lamb wave due to the damage can be described in the wave propagation image and hence the damage can be localized and quantified. Damage-sensitive features, which are reflected wave from the damage, are clearly extracted by wave-number filtering based on the 3 dimensional Fourier transform of the visualized data. Additional features are extracted by observing different scales of wavelet coefficients so that the time of flight (TOF) of Lamb wave modes can be clearly separated. Steel plates with fatigue cracks are investigated to verify the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed NDT approach.
This paper reports the application of a non-linear impedance technique under a low-frequency vibration to detect
structural defects of contact type such as fatigue crack. If the contact-type damage is developed within the structure due
to the low-frequency dynamic load, the vibration can cause the fluctuation of structural impedance nonlinearly because
of the contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN). This nonlinear effect can lead to amplitude modulation and phase modulation
of the current flow. The nonlinear characteristics of the structural impedance can be extracted by observing coupled
electromechanical impedance of a piezoelectric active sensor and a nonlinear wave modulation spectroscopy. For
experiment, a low-frequency vibration is applied to a notched coupon at a certain natural frequency by a shaker so that
the nonlinear fatigue crack can be formed artificially at the notch tip. Then, the nonlinear features are extracted based on
a self-sensing impedance measurement from a host structure under a low-frequency vibration. Damage metric is
established based on the nonlinear fluctuation of the impedance due to the CAN.
The steel cables in long span bridges such as cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges are critical members which
suspend the load of main girders and bridge floor slabs. Damage of cable members can occur in the form of crosssectional
loss caused by fatigue, wear, and fracture, which can lead to structural failure due to concentrated stress in the
cable. Therefore, nondestructive examination of steel cables is necessary so that the cross-sectional loss can be detected.
Thus, an automated cable monitoring system using a suitable NDE technique and a cable climbing robot is proposed. In
this study, an MFL (Magnetic Flux Leakage- based inspection system was applied to monitor the condition of cables.
This inspection system measures magnetic flux to detect the local faults (LF) of steel cable. To verify the feasibility of
the proposed damage detection technique, an 8-channel MFL sensor head prototype was designed and fabricated. A steel
cable bunch specimen with several types of damage was fabricated and scanned by the MFL sensor head to measure the
magnetic flux density of the specimen. To interpret the condition of the steel cable, magnetic flux signals were used to
determine the locations of the flaws and the level of damage. Measured signals from the damaged specimen were
compared with thresholds set for objective decision making. In addition, the measured magnetic flux signal was
visualized into a 3D MFL map for convenient cable monitoring. Finally, the results were compared with information on
actual inflicted damages to confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed cable monitoring method.
During the construction of concrete structures, real-time monitoring for their strength development is very crucial to
determine the structures' readiness for in-service. However, it is very hard to estimate the compressive strength of the
concrete nondestructively and in real-time. To provide the solution for this limitation, this study proposes a guided wavebased
concrete strength estimation system using an embedded smart sensor module system. Because the guided waves
could not propagate clearly inside the concrete, an embedded smart sensor module system was developed by attaching
two piezoelectric ceramic sensors on a thin steel plate that could provide a propagating path for the guided waves.
Because the boundary condition of the steel plate is changed according to the variation of the concrete strength, the
guided wave signal obtained from the piezoelectric sensors might be changed with a certain pattern affected by the
boundary condition. Therefore, the strength of the concrete can be estimated by analyzing the pattern-variations of the
guided wave signals. To confirm the feasibility of the proposed methodology, an experimental study using a concrete
specimen with the aforementioned embedded smart sensor module system is carried out and the optimized strength
estimation equation is derived throughout a regression analysis.
Recently, the longitudinal, shear and surface waves have been very widely used as a kind of ultrasonic wave exploration
methods to identify internal defects of metallic structures. The ultrasonic wave-based non-destructive testing (NDT) is
one of main non-destructive inspection techniques for a health assessment about nuclear power plant, aircraft, ships,
and/or automobile manufacturing. In this study, a noncontact pulsed laser-based flaw imaging NDT technique is
implemented to detect the damage of a plate-like structure and to identify the location of the damage. To achieve this
goal, the Nd:YAG pulsed laser equipment is used to generate a guided wave and scans a specific area to find damage
location. The Nd: YAG pulsed laser is used to generate Lamb wave and piezoelectric sensors are installed to measure
structural responses. Ann aluminum plate is investigated to verify the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed
NDT approach. A notch is a target to detect, which is inflicted on the surface of an aluminum plate. The damagesensitive
features are extracted by comparing the time of flight of the guided wave obtained from an acoustic emission
(AE) sensor and make use of the flaw imaging techniques of the aluminum plate.
Recently, novel methods to monitor the strength development of concrete during curing process have been reported
based on electro-mechanical impedance measurement using piezoelectric sensors. However, the previous research works
could not provide the information about the absolute strength of concrete. In order to estimate the absolute strength
directly, an embedded piezoelectric sensor system based strength monitoring technique was proposed in this study. To
avoid the degradation of a piezoelectric sensor due to external and internal impacts and/or environmental variations, the
piezoelectric sensor soldered with a lead wire is inserted into a small concrete block and then this block is embedded in
larger concrete specimen. While the concrete is cured, the electro-mechanical impedance and guided wave signals, self-measured
from the embedded piezoelectric sensor, would be changed because those are related to the material properties
of the concrete such as the strength and the stiffness. Hence, the strength of concrete can be monitored by analyzing the
root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) of the impedance signals and the amplitude variation of the guided wave signals.
Specific equations to estimate the strength of the concrete are derived using a regression analysis based on the features
extracted from the signal variations. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a series of
experimental studies using miscellaneous concrete specimens are conducted and further research issues will be discussed
for real-world implementation of the proposed approach.
In a structure, damage can occur at several scales from micro-cracking to corrosion or loose bolts. This makes the
identification of damage difficult with one scale of sensing. Hence, a multi-scale actuated sensing system is proposed
based on a self-sensing circuit using a piezoelectric sensor. In the self sensing-based multi-scale actuated sensing, one
scale provides a wide frequency-band structural response from the self-sensed impedance measurement and the other
scale provides a specific frequency-induced structural wavelet response from the self-sensed guided wave measurement.
In this study, an experimental study using the pipeline system under a water flow-operation is carried out to verify the
effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed structural health monitoring approach. Different types of structural
damage are artificially inflicted on the pipeline system. To classify the multiple types of structural damage, a supervised
learning-based statistical pattern recognition is implemented by composing a three-dimensional space using the damage
indices extracted from the impedance and guided wave features as well as temperature variation. For more systematic
damage classification, several control parameters to determine an optimal decision boundary for the supervised learningbased
pattern recognition are optimized. Finally, further research issues will be discussed for real-world implementation
of the proposed approach.
A new concept of reference-free damage detection methodology is developed using transfer impedances to detect crack
damage in a plate-like structure without using previously collected baseline data. Conventional impedance-based damage
detection techniques have been shown to be vulnerable to other types of changes such as temperature variation that may
not be relevant to defects of interest. One of potential disadvantages of the conventional techniques is frequent falsealarms
due to these undesirable variations that may occur particularly for field applications. In order to reduce these
false-alarms, this paper proposes a new methodology that utilizes transfer impedances obtained between two pairs of
collocated PZT patches instead of the electromechanical impedance obtained at one PZT patch. The proposed technique
seeks Lamb mode conversion effects caused by the presence of crack damage in plate structures. Furthermore, an
instantaneous damage classification is carried out by comparing mode conversion energy among several combinations of
measured signals without any user-specified threshold or relying on the baseline data. The feasibility of the proposed
reference-free methodology using transfer impedances is investigated via a series of experiments conducted on an
aluminum plate.
Recently, a reference-free damage detection technique that does not rely on baseline data has been proposed for plate-like
structures by the author's research group. If Lamb waves traveling along a thin plate encounter damage such as crack and
corrosion, mode conversions occur. Using the previously developed reference-free technique, it has been shown that the
mode conversion due to damage formation can be detected without using baseline data. In this study, the previous
technique is further advanced so that it can be applied to structures with complex geometries such as a stiffener and
thickness variations. First, the applicability of the proposed technique to a plate with a stiffener is tested. Due to the
stiffener in the wave path, mode conversion is produced even in the absence of damage. Next, the effect of the plate
thickness variation is investigated. When Lamb waves propagate along a symmetrically tapered section, mode
conversion can be also produced. However, due to symmetry of waveguide, converted modes cancel out each other and
no special treatment is necessary. On the other hand, non-symmetric thickness variation can cause the mode conversion
even in the absence of the defect. Since feature observed from the non-symmetrically tapered plate is the most complex
to analyze, this case is highlighted in this study. Furthermore, an instantaneous damage classification method has been
developed. Experimental studies as well as numerical simulations are executed to investigate the effectiveness of the
proposed technique.
Recently, a damage detection technique has been developed based on the polarization characteristics of the piezoceramic
(PZT) transducers attached on the both sides of a thin and uniform metal plate. Damage is identified using
instantaneously measured Lamb wave signals without using previously obtained baseline data. If the propagating waves
along a thin plate encounter a discontinuity point such as a crack, mode conversion occurs and this mode conversion is
extracted using the proposed technique. So for, the proposed technique is demonstrated for specimens with a uniform
thickness although many structural systems have more complex structural features such as stiffeners, holes and bolts. In
this study, the effect of through-the-thickness holes on the proposed technique is investigated. An array of holes creates
multiple reflections and refractions of Lamb waves, and these multiple reflections and refractions may cause difficulties
in analyzing responses of Lamb waves. Because the through-the-thickness holes do not produce mode conversion, it is
expected that these holes do not affect the performance of the proposed technique. This study experimentally investigates
whether a crack damage can be still identified even in the presence of the holes using the proposed technique.
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