Globally, civil infrastructures are deteriorating at an alarming rate caused by overuse, overloading, aging, damage or
failure due to natural or man-made hazards. With such a vast network of deteriorating infrastructure, there is a
growing interest in continuous monitoring technologies. In order to provide a true distributed sensor and control
system for civil structures, we are developing a Structural Nervous System that mimics key attributes of a human
nervous system. This nervous system is made up of building blocks that are designed based on mechanoreceptors as
a fundamentally new approach for the development of a structural health monitoring and diagnostic system that
utilizes the recently developed piezo-fibers capable of sensing and actuation. In particular, our research has been
focused on producing a sensory nervous system for civil structures by using piezo-fibers as sensory receptors, nerve
fibers, neuronal pools, and spinocervical tract to the nodal and central processing units. This paper presents up to
date results of our research, including the design and analysis of the structural nervous system.
In order to provide a true distributed sensor and control system for civil structures, we have developed a Structural Nervous System that mimics key attributes of a human nervous system. This nervous system is made up of building blocks that are designed based on mechanoreceptors as a fundamentally new approach for the development of a structural health monitoring and diagnostic system that utilizes the recently discovered plant-protein forisomes, a novel non-living biological material capable of sensing and actuation. In particular, our research has been focused on producing a sensory nervous system for civil structures by using forisomes as the mechanoreceptors, nerve fibers, neuronal pools, and spinocervical tract to the nodal and central processing units. This paper will present up to date results of our research, including the design and analysis of the structural nervous system.
This research proposes use of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors to measure and monitor patient body temperature non-intrusively on a Smart Bed Sheet. The use of FBG sensors allows smart bed sheet to have the look and feel of an ordinary conventional bed sheet since FBG sensors have a very thin and light linear geometry. Additionally, they are dielectric in nature, and have a total immunity to electromagnetic and RF interferences. Recent developments in FBG research have made these sensors considerably inexpensive but very reliable. Simple signal processing techniques can extract very precise temperature from FBG sensors.
Abstract-Transformers are a vital part of transmission and distribution systems. Monitoring the transformers for problems before they occur can prevent faults that are costly to fix and result in a loss of service. Current systems can provide information about the state of a transformer, but are very expensive to implement. This paper outlines a new approach that is based using light absorbance to monitor the transformer oil. Oil is continually sampled from the transformer, and light is passed through the oil and tested for absorbance. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that a system based on one wavelength could determine the difference between an acceptable or unacceptable sample of oil. Samples of transformer oil were failed in controlled failure modes, which showed a general increase in absorbance during the experiment. Additional wavelengths can be measured, which provides more information about the state of the transformer and makes the system more versatile in determining fault types. All the equipment necessary for the prototype system is outlined, as well as a method for analyzing the data that the prototype can provide.
Among the most critical components in the electric power system is the power transformer. As such, a significant body of research has been put forward to attempt to anticipate the needs for maintenance to be performed. Traditional health assessment has required sampling of oil for submission to a laboratory for analysis, but this has been deemed undesirable in light of budgetary constraints on maintenance staffing, and new predictive maintenance philosophies for substation equipment. A number of processes have been developed in recent years for online health assessment of transformers, most of which have focused on dissolved gas analysis. This paper describes a novel optical methodology for on-line transformer health assessment that utilizes an ultraviolet absorption measurement to identify the degradation of the transformer oil. An optical system was selected because of its immunity to the electromagnetic noise typical of substations, and because of the minimal impact that non-conducting materials have on the insulation system design of the transformer. The system is designed to identify deterioration and premature aging resulting from overheating, low level arcing or excessive exposure to atmospheric air. The system consists of a light source, filter, guide and detection components, and a very simple computational requirement. The measurements performed with the prototype system are validated with a high precision spectrophotometry measurement and an independent oil-testing laboratory.
Conference Committee Involvement (10)
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
10 March 2013 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
12 March 2012 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
7 March 2011 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
8 March 2010 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
9 March 2009 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
10 March 2008 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
19 March 2007 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
27 February 2006 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
7 March 2005 | San Diego, California, United States
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems
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