L2M NSERC - Safer infrastructure with digital twinning and structural health monitoring using smart energy harvesting sensors

根据加拿大2019年的基础设施报告，近38%的桥梁和隧道处于中等、较差或更差的状况，需要花费500亿美元进行更换和维护[1]。美国约有25%的桥梁存在结构缺陷或功能陈旧，需要709亿美元的维修和维护费用[2]。维修、维护和更换现有和新的结构消耗了大多数发达国家基础设施预算的很大一部分（英国为35-45%，欧盟为50%）。作为直接的后果，翻修和监测的需求具有重大的财务影响。健康监测是一种评估和跟踪结构完整性并确定结构退化性质的技术。结构健康监测是一种无损检测和诊断结构损伤的技术。SHM涉及使用来自传感器网络的周期性采样动态反应测量来连续监测系统，从这些数据中提取损伤敏感特征，并对这些特征进行统计分析以确定系统的当前健康状态。传统的方法有许多缺点，包括耗时，劳动密集型和昂贵的，需要重型设备，使检查员面临潜在的危险情况，并且不适用于无法进入但关键的区域。应用智能材料改善结构性能是一个新兴的跨学科领域，其特点是尖端技术，包括材料和结构、传感器和执行器系统以及信息处理和控制。压电材料是最常见的智能材料，被广泛应用于传感器和执行器。

According to Canada's 2019 Infrastructure Report, nearly 38% of bridges and tunnels are in fair,poor, or worse condition, costing $50 billion in replacement and maintenance [1]. Around 25%of bridges in the United States are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, requiring $70.9billion in repair and maintenance costs [2]. Repairing, maintaining, and replacing existing andnew structures consumes a significant portion of most developed countries' infrastructurebudgets (35-45% in the UK and 50% in the EU) [3]. As a direct consequence, the need forrefurbishments and monitoring has a significant financial impact.Health monitoring is a technique for assessing and tracking structural integrity and determiningthe nature of deterioration in a structure. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a nondestructivetechnique for detecting and diagnosing damage. SHM involves continuouslymonitoring a system using periodically sampled dynamic reaction measurements from a networkof sensors, extracting damage-sensitive features from these data, and statistically analyzing thesefeatures to determine the system's current state of health. Traditional methods have a number ofdisadvantages, including being time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, requiring heavyequipment, exposing inspectors to potentially hazardous situations, and being inapplicable toinaccessible but critical areas. The application of smart materials to improve structural behavioris a burgeoning interdisciplinary domain characterized by cutting-edge technology thatencompasses materials and structures, sensor and actuator systems, and information processingand control. Piezoelectric materials are the most common smart materials, and they are used assensors and actuators.