Abstract
One key issue in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of buildings is the influence of the soil on the dynamics of the system. The lack of accurate information on soil-structure interaction represents a source of significant uncertainty and generates difficulties in assessing the state of structural health. In this respect, satellite data could represent a valuable tool for soil knowledge. This paper presents the first study of satellite data coming from the environmental Copernicus program of the European Space Agency (ESA) for the alternative application in the field of SHM. In particular, Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Soil Water Index (SWI) data are elected to study surface temperature and moisture condition of the soil. Once examined and processed, these records have been statistically analyzed, crossed with on-site experimental quantities (natural frequencies and environmental variations), and given as input to a Finite Element (FE) model. The final goal is to understand the actual structural behavior, but also to monitor the evolution of the dynamic parameters for the purposes of structural and seismic monitoring. The largest oval masonry dome in the world was chosen as a prominent case study to demonstrate this novel approach to SHM.
Highlights
One key issue in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of buildings is the influence of the soil on the dynamics of the system
The following aspects are addressed: (i) the data are selected, examined, and processed in view of their possible use in the context of SHM; (ii) a first study about the connection between structural, environmental, and geophysical satellite data has been performed; (iii) some preliminary Finite Element (FE) simulations that merge the information coming from in-situ experimental, environmental and satellite geophysical data have been performed in order to predict the complex dynamic behavior in operational conditions of a selected case study
It is worth highlighting that these measurements contain information about different phenomena: Soil Water Index (SWI) is known to be related to precipitation, which, in addition to modifying the properties of the soil, could lead to an increase in mass and a consequent alteration of the structural frequencies by wetting the material of the overlying structure; the environmental changes in temperature affect the structure and its frequencies both directly and indirectly, e.g., by modifying the mechanical properties of the ground
Summary
One key issue in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of buildings is the influence of the soil on the dynamics of the system. Infrastructures, buildings, and entire urban areas have proved vulnerable to natural phenomena, whether caused by climate change (such as floods and landslides) or earthquakes, and to human-made hazards In this context, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems can effectively contribute to the real-time assessment of a building, especially as they allow the detection of structural anomalies that may indicate damage. Satellite data are often used for environmental monitoring (i.e., melting glaciers, fires, drought, etc.), and the employment of these data for SHM is extremely recent; in particular, the satellite data of an interferometric nature are among the most widespread in this area, capable of detecting centimetric displacements even up to millimeters Their first applications concerned the monitoring of aggregated buildings in urban a reas[3,9–13], the effects of land subsidence in built e nvironments[3,14,15], and only later the detection of anomalies on specific s tructures[16], or infrastructures[4,11,16,17]. The building is monitored by a permanent structural monitoring system, both static and dynamic[18]
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