I-Corps - Seismic Fragility Monitoring and Estimation System

I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种工具，通过不断监测其共振来检查结构的健康状况，例如高层公寓。退化率或“疲劳”是风险评估所需的关键参数，但很难确定，因为裂缝、翘曲和剪切等关键损伤指标通常出现在难以接近的位置，例如墙罩后面、天花板和基础下面。评估疲劳而不依赖于有意识地识别这些指标仍然是目前知识的空白。提出的技术是基于基本的理解，即随着时间的推移和暴露在元素中，结构会降解，它们的共振会发生变化。目前，在单层和多层建筑、风车、石油平台、水坝和桥梁等领域，对预测性结构维护技术的需求非常强烈。拟议中的技术旨在提醒业主和运营商其资产的任何重大变化，这将使他们能够及时安排更详细的检查，以确定正在发生的故障的确切性质，并在它变成更大的问题和费用之前进行修复。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种技术的发展，通过监测结构的共振来估计结构的脆弱性。所提出的技术使用硬件和软件开发。提议的硬件包括一个具有遥测功能的多传感器单元，可以捕捉整个运动范围并近乎实时地传递信息。多传感器单元包括加速度计、陀螺仪和GPS元件，它们分别允许记录线性和扭转运动和位移。该软件采用开窗和叠加的方法，使噪声最小化，增强结构的特征模态。硬件可以安装在文具以及移动结构中，而不考虑其形状复杂性和组成材料。记录的数据被传输到“基础”高性能计算基础设施。在基站，数据被编目、存档，并使用先进的处理算法分析共振模式的变化。一般来说，共振变化越大，脆性越高。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a tool for checking the health of a structure, such as a high-rise condominium, by continually monitoring its resonance. The rate of degradation, or “fatigue,” is a critical parameter required for risk assessment but is difficult to determine as the key damage indicators such as cracks, warps, and shear generally appear in inaccessible locations, e.g., behind wall coverings, in ceilings, and under foundations. Assessing fatigue without relying on conscious identification of such indicators remains a gap in the current knowledge. The proposed technology is based on the fundamental understanding that as structures degrade with time and exposure to the elements, their resonance changes. Currently, there is a strong demand for technology to assist with predictive structural maintenance in areas such as single and multistory buildings, windmills, oil platforms, dams, and bridges. The proposed technology is designed to alert the owners and operators to any significant changes in their assets, which will allow them to schedule more detailed inspections in time to identify the exact nature of the ongoing failure and have it repaired before it turns into more significant problem and expense. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology to estimate the fragility of a structure by monitoring its resonance. The proposed technology uses both hardware and software development. The proposed hardware comprises a multi-sensor unit with telemetry capabilities to capture the full scope of motion and relay the information in near real time. The multi-sensor unit comprises elements of an accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS, which respectively allow the recording of linear and torsional motions and displacements. The software uses windowing and stacking methods that minimize noise and enhance the characteristic modes of a structure. The hardware may be installed in stationery as well as mobile structures irrespective of their shape complexity and constituent material. The recorded data are transmitted to a “base” high-performing computing infrastructure. At the base station, the data are cataloged, archived, and analyzed for changes in the resonance pattern using advanced processing algorithms. In general, a greater change in resonance has been associated with higher fragility.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.