Structural Control, Advanced Sensing Systems and Health Monitoring: Past, Present and Future

Abstract eng:
The civil engineering structures are invariably exposed to a variety of natural hazards such as strong winds, earthquakes and water waves which induce dynamic effects. Often not much can be done to reduce the level of such natural hazards to which structures are exposed, and thus for several decades the researchers have focused on reducing the dynamics response by using different types of structural control methods to improve the safety and performance of civil structures. The US National Science Foundation has played a central role for several decades in the development and implementation of innovative methods for passive as well as active structural control. The researchers have developed and improved the concepts of passive and hybrid base isolation, passive energy dissipation methods, and active and semi-active control methods. The in-depth research has identified the strengths and limitations of different control approaches, as well as research issues that need to be further addressed for efficient implementation of various methods. The state of the art of structural control has certainly moved from research to implementation stage with several buildings, bridges and other systems equipped with sophisticated structural control systems. This movement has certainly been facilitated by recent development and continued advancement in sensors and sensing technologies. The structural control schemes are being considered not only for reducing the design level response to enhance life–safety but also to optimally minimize the life cycle costs and maximize performance through performance-based design methods. The active integration of control systems and advanced sensing methods are being examined for overall life time performance improvements through dynamic health monitoring and structural control. This paper provides a historical perspective of the milestone achievements in structural control research and its implementation, and future research trends that are evolving in this field. .

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket