Deploying Optimal Number of Sensors and Damage Detection in Structural Health Monitoring Using SEM-GA Method

Abstract

Detecting damages is the most important criterion in any engineering creation—be it a machine or a building. Among the engineering creation, civil engineering structures need a continuous monitoring to check their operations, performance and the health status of the structures. Damage detection cannot be done manually every time. Automated systems have to be developed in order to monitor the health of the structure periodically. Hence, structural health monitoring (SHM) aims to develop automated systems for the continuous monitoring, inspection, and damage detection of structures with minimum labour involvement. In order to achieve this, sensors are deployed to enable predictive monitoring of the general health of a structure, be it a building, a bridge, or other structure whose integrity translates into the safety of those who utilizes and depends upon it. One of the fundamental requirements of SHM is sensor location optimization. To make efficient placement in SHM, a hybrid optimization strategy named strain energy method-genetic algorithm (SEM-GA) is proposed. This approach firstly selects mode shape of the structures. Then, the modal strain energy method is adopted to conduct the initial sensor placement. Finally, the genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized to determine the optimal number and locations of the sensors, which uses the root mean square of off-diagonal elements in the modal assurance criterion matrix as the fitness function. Further, for damage detection, damages are induced in a certain storey and the modal strain energy change is studied.   Keywords: Structural health monitoring, optimal sensor placement, damage detection Cite this Article Sai Harshita MM, Sakthieswaran N. Deploying Optimal Number of Sensors and Damage Detection in Structural Health Monitoring Using SEM-GA Method. Current Trends in Signal Processing. 2016; 6(2): 28–35p.