A global non-destructive damage assessment methodology for civil engineering structures

Abstract

This paper describes a potential methodology to continuously assess the safety of civil engineering structures, e.g. bridges, frames and offshore platforms. The proposed damage assessment methodology not only detects and sizes damage, but also evaluates the impact of the damage on the performance of the structure. The proposed methodology deals with two broad activities: (i) periodic non-destructive damage localization and severity estimation; and (ii) the assessment of structural safety based on the results of the non-destructive damage detection. To accomplish these activities, first an established methodology which yields information on the changes in localized sectional stiffness properties (e.g. axial, bending and torsion) from changes in dynamic properties (i.e. mode shapes and frequencies) of the pre-damaged and post-damaged structures is reviewed. Next, an efficient technique to directly assess the reliability of a structural system using reliabilities of the components of the structure is developed. The efficacy of the combination of the non-destructive damage detection and the structural reliability evaluation is demonstrated using pre-damage and post-damage modal data obtained from numerical simulations of a rigid frame.