Abstract

This talk starts with an introduction to vibration based Structural Health Monitoring, with emphasis on the main steps of a methodology based on the continuous and automated identification of the structure modal properties and on the analysis of their evolution with statistical tools that aim the detection of abnormal patterns.

The described approach is then illustrated in the context of research driven monitoring project of a concrete arch bridge with a span of 280m. Afterwards, the value of the developed monitoring tools is proven with the presentation of two applications developed in the context of consultancy projects in two other bridges.

Finally, the application of the tools – originally developed for the condition assessment of bridges – in the monitoring of wind turbines is demonstrated, with the description of the outcomes obtained during a one-year monitoring project in a wind turbine.

The results presented for all the applications will stress not only the ability of the described processing algorithms for the detection of damages, or structural changes, but also their usefulness for better understanding the behavior of the instrumented structures under normal operating conditions.