Kalman Filter Based Load Monitoring in Beam Like Structures Using Fibre-Optic Strain Sensors.

Rohan Soman,Wieslaw Ostachowicz

doi:10.3390/s19010103

Abstract

The paper presents a proof of concept of a new methodology for the load estimation in beam-like structures under complex loading. The paper customizes a Kalman Filter (KF) based estimation technique which is shown to be robust to the presence of measurement noise as well as the changing condition of the beam for estimation of loads in beam-like structures. The methodology was validated using numerical as well as experimental data. The initial studies indicate that the proposed methodology has promise for applications where monitoring and classification of the strains is necessary, such as those in continuous welded rails.

Highlights

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is no longer a luxury but a necessity
The direct estimation (DE) is the estimate of the loads based on the measured strains at that instance calculated based on simultaneously solving Equations (1)–(3)
The Kalman Filter (KF) is formulated with a parameter defined as the real neutral axis (RNA), which is the true neutral axis of the beam

Summary

Introduction

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The safety and reliability of structures is of utmost importance in the present day due to the heavy dependence of human activities on these structures. A collapse of a structure may have huge financial impact and may even cause loss of life. To ensure reliable functioning of structures, they are instrumented with different kinds of sensors for measurement of the in-service performance. The use of strain sensors is very common and in the last decade fiber optic sensors are being extensively used. The benefits offered by the fiber optics can be summarized as [1]:

Methods

Results

Conclusion