Rainieri, Carlo

A Step Towards the Implementation of a Smart Health Facility: Vibration-Based Identification and Monitoring of Structures and Equipment

Abstract eng:
The effects of earthquakes on non-structural components and medical equipment very often dictate the seismic vulnerability of health facilities, since their failure affects the functionality of the hospital at a time of large demand of medical assistance. A lot of health facilities in seismically prone areas worldwide are designed and built according to obsolete codes or even in the absence of any consideration of seismic loads. On the other hand, the most advanced seismic codes recognize the relevant influence of non-structural components and equipment on the resilience of hospitals to earthquakes. Thus, the assessment of the seismic performance of health facilities requires due consideration of strong motion as well as moderate earthquakes. The present paper discusses the role of modal identification and vibration-based monitoring for structural health assessment of health facilities in operational conditions and after earthquake. A case study will show how the analysis of the dynamic response of the structure and relevant equipment can represent an attractive option to enhance the overall resilience of the health facility. In particular, while continuous monitoring of the modal parameters of the structure in operational conditions can provide significant information about the influence of environmental factors on the dynamic response of the structure and eventual interactions with nearby structures in the hospital, the experimental modal analysis of medical equipment can effectively support their qualification in view of seismic performance assessment. Thus, experimental modal analysis and continuous vibration-based monitoring provide relevant data and information about the performance and safety conditions of health facilities, supporting ordinary maintenance and seismic emergency management. The installation of high quality measurement chains and the implementation of effective and fully automated data processing procedures represent the first step towards the implementation of Smart Health Facilities, able to diagnose their own faults and damage.

Contributors:

Gargaro, Danilo

Conference Title:

Proceedings of the 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering

Conference Title:

16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering

Conference Venue:

Santiago (CL)

Conference Dates:

2017-01-09 / 2017-01-13

Rights:

Text je chráněný podle autorského zákona č. 121/2000 Sb.