Development of an Integrated Intelligent Structural Monitoring System

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This project will carry out research toward development of monitoring systems for civil structures such as buildings, bridges and dams with uncertain structural properties and which are subject to seismic hazard. Such a Intelligent Structural Monitoring System will be developed as an integrated unit consisting of three principal software modules, which will be interfaced with the physical civil structure: a Decision Support Subsystem (an expert system), an Identification Subsystem, and a Robust Control Subsystem. These modules will interact with each other in real-time. The Decision Support Subsystem will employ advanced damage assessment technology to determine whether corrective control action is necessary. The Identification Subsystem will ensure that the (mathematical) models of the structure and control devices are updated at appropriate acceptable time intervals. The Robust Control Subsystem will actually synthesize the controller based on the updated structural model and chosen performance objectives. These objectives will be achieved by appropriate use of advanced control devices such as active tendons, active variable stiffness systems, active mass dampers, active base isolators, and others, or combinations of these. The main objectives of this proposal are: (1) develop a state-of-the-art expert system capable of inferring the existence, location and extent of structural damage, with remote data sensoring. (2) build system identification software tools capable of reliably building and updating structural models in presence of parameter uncertainties in real-time; (3) study and incorporate robust control techniques capable of meeting performance objectives in presence of incomplete information erroneous data, or control device failures; (4) to integrate the expert, identification and robust control subsystems into a single intelligent monitoring system; and (5) investigate the performance and the reliability of operation of such a system through simulation studies, and to make recommendations for its practical on-site deployment.