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Dynamic Response of Slender Structures to Downbursts
Background and MotivationDownbursts are localized, intense downdrafts produced by convective storms that generate strong, transient, and highly non-uniform wind fields near the ground. Unlike synoptic winds, downbursts exhibit rapid temporal variation and complex spatial characteristics, posing a significant challenge to conventional wind engineering assumptions. Slender structures such as transmission towers, chimneys, masts, long-span bridges, and Read more
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Fault Detection and Management in Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Railway Bridges
fault detection, permanent monitoring system, Railway bridges, sensors fault, structural health monitoringStructural health monitoring (SHM) of railway bridges heavily relies on data collected from sensor networks (accelerometers, strain gauges, data acquisition systems). However, technical faults in sensors – such as electrical failures, connection errors, drift, or hardware malfunctions – may compromise the reliability of the measurements. In some cases, fault-induced signals can be mistakenly interpreted as Read more
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Realization of a laboratory scaled steel truss bridge
As direct damage application on full-scale bridge structures is unfeasible, scaled laboratory models provide a suitable alternative for the validation of structural health monitoring (SHM) algorithms. Such models enable the introduction of controlled damage with known location and extent. The objective of this thesis is to design and construct a scaled laboratory model of an Read more
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Bridge FE model updating through on-field continuous measurements
FE model updating involves calibrating unknown and uncertain parameters to make the numerical model response match with the experimental measurements. For a bridge FE model, an updated model can serve multiple purposes, including damage detection, informed reinforcement design and the evaluation of new operational scenarios. Within this context, the student will implement a model updating Read more
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Transfer Learning and Domain Adaptation for Bridge Monitoring
Structural health monitoring of bridges and viaducts is a crucial field to ensure infrastructure safety and durability. However, one of the main challenges is the scarcity of available data for newly monitored structures, which makes it difficult to train reliable machine learning models. Additionally, assessing the health condition of a structure at the beginning of Read more
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Data-Driven Structural Health Monitoring of Railway Bridges through Signal Decomposition Methods
Anomaly detection, Machine Learning, Railway bridges, Signal processing, structural health monitoringContacts: Viviana Giorgi, Gabriele Cazzulani, Claudio Somaschini Structural health monitoring of bridges and viaducts is crucial to ensure safety and operational reliability. A promising approach relies on the analysis of acceleration signals recorded during train passages, which contain valuable information about the structural dynamic state. However, extracting robust diagnostic indicators from such high-frequency signals is challenging due to Read more