Deflection Measurements Research Articles

Static Stability of Elbow Interposition Arthroplasty Stabilized With Novel Ligament Reconstruction.

Outcomes of interposition arthroplasty for treatment of elbow arthritis are highly dependent on elbow stability. The purpose of this study was to determine whether interposition arthroplasty with a novel bidirectional ligament reconstruction technique could adequately restore the static stability of the native elbow. Static varus and valgus elbow stability was tested in 7 cadaver elbows with intact ligaments and capsule at 5 flexion angles (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120°). At each angle, the distance between fixed reference points across the elbow was measured both medially and laterally. The elbows were then destabilized and an interposition arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction was performed. Static elbow stability was reassessed by comparing postoperative deflection measurements with those of the native state. Graft slippage or loosening was visually assessed following testing. Interposition arthroplasty was performed in 7 cadaver specimens. Following ligament reconstruction, specimens reproduced the flexion angle-dependent static stability of native elbows to both varus and valgus stress. The greatest deflection changes between native elbows and elbows after interposition arthroplasty were 2.7% (P = .13) medially and 2.3% (P = .42) laterally, which were not significant. There was no loosening or slippage of either the interposition graft or the ligament reconstruction grafts. Cadaveric elbow specimens underwent interposition arthroplasty with a novel technique for bidirectional ligament reconstruction. Static stability was maintained at varying degrees of elbow flexion, comparable to that of the native elbow. Interposition and ligament reconstruction grafts maintained secure fixation following static biomechanical testing.

Comparison of Actual Deformations of Historic Wooden Structures with Values Obtained from Static Calculations

In historic wooden structures, deformations can be influenced by factors that are negligible within the first 50 years of the building's existence. In attics where the roof covering is made of metal sheets, the air and structural elements heat up during the day and cool down rapidly at night. This phenomenon, over a long period, can cause micro-cracks and surface material degradation. For the study, historic buildings meeting the criteria for service class II according to PN-EN 1995-1-1 were selected. Measurements of deflections, humidity, and modulus of elasticity of the wood were conducted. The actual deflections of the examined structures were found to be 28% to 37% higher than those obtained from numerical calculations, indicating ongoing rheological processes in the wooden structures.

Experimental Modelling of Water-Wave Interactions with a Flexible Beam

A series of fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) experiments is presented for studying water-wave interactions with a flexible beam in a wide range of sea conditions, thereby yielding a repository of FSI test-case data. The aim is to use these experimental data in order to validate FSI solvers commonly employed by the maritime industry in the design of fixed-foundation, offshore wind turbines. The experimental set-up allows simultaneous measurements of beam deflections and their effect on incident and reflected waves. In addition, the study is carried out in a wide range of sea conditions ranging from regular-to-irregular and moderate-to-extreme wave height and steepness. The study of such a wide range of conditions makes the experiments suitable for providing reliable data in the validation of a suite of mathematical and numerical FSI solvers, i.e., linear, nonlinear and high-fidelity. The data from the experiments are made publicly available through open-source data-sharing platforms.

Machine Learning Approach to Rapidly Evaluate Curling of Concrete Pavement

This paper focuses on the methodology for evaluating the degree of total curling in concrete pavement using machine learning. Deflection induced by falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing is known as a direct correlation to total curling including built-in and daily curling. However, deflection measurement in the in-service road is also affected by others, such as environmental conditions, pavement geometry, subgrade stiffness, and mixture design. Thus, it is challenging to determine the level of curling from FWD data due to the complexity of influencing parameters. To navigate this complexity, prominent machine learning models are exploited to identify a non-linear relationship between curling and FWD deflections. A finite-element simulation of FWD is conducted to generate a vast data set, and a robust regression model is trained to estimate the total effective temperature difference (TETD) to quantify the effects of curling. Since input parameters for testing pavements can be measurable in the field, curling from TETD can be readily obtained using the proposed methodology. Comparative simulations highlight that the proposed models, with an MAE less than 0.5 °C significantly outperform the multiple regression performance, which registers an MAE of 3.45 °C in TETD, particularly in offering cost-effective and noise-tolerant prediction.

Nature-inspired optimization of weighted-feature ensemble model to predict the deflection of corroded reinforced concrete beam

Steel corrosion is a significant concern for the structural integrity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, leading to a decline in durability throughout a building's lifespan. Assessing the deflection of corroded RC beams is essential for maintaining structural safety and longevity. This study introduces a novel nature-inspired weighted-feature ensemble model (NiwE) that integrates two distinct machine learning algorithms: least squares support vector regression and radial basis function neural network, both optimized by beluga whale optimization to predict the deflection of corroded RC beams. The primary objective is to enhance the predictive accuracy of deflection measurements, offering a robust tool for evaluating structural performance under corrosion-induced damage. The model was developed and validated using a comprehensive dataset comprising 180 samples collected from aging residential buildings in southern Vietnam. A cross-validation approach was employed in this process to ensure a robust and reliable evaluation of the models. The results show that the NiwE model achieved superior predictive accuracy compared to existing methods, with an RMSE of 1.739 mm, MAE of 1.115 mm, and R2 of 0.926 in testing. Remarkably, the NiwE model was able to determine weight values that facilitate the discovery of new feature combinations, achieving significantly higher accuracy than existing models. The proposed model offers civil engineers a valuable tool for estimating deflection in corroded RC beams and opens new pathways for optimizing building structures, developing early warning systems, and implementing timely maintenance measures to ensure safety and resilience.

Experimental and theoretical research on deformation monitoring of distributed piezoelectric inclinometer tube

To improve horizontal displacement monitoring in geotechnical engineering, researchers have focused on developing distributed, automated, and cost-effective inclinometers capable of long-term monitoring. However, existing technologies cannot fully satisfy these requirements. This study proposes a novel piezoelectric inclinometer tube that incorporates a sensor-enabled piezoelectric geocable (SPGC), which was mounted along the surfaces of three tubes made of different materials. The distributed strain along the inclinometer tube was measured using the impedance–strain effect of the SPGC, and a deflection curve was obtained. The results of the failure test showed that the piezoelectric inclinometer tube remained within its measurement range before breaking. Furthermore, the placement of the SPGC on the outer surface of the tube demonstrated superior monitoring effectiveness under bending deformation, providing qualitative insights into the deformation and fracture behavior of the tube. Loading and unloading tests demonstrated excellent reproducibility of strain in the piezoelectric inclinometer tube. Among the tested materials, the inclinometer tube made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene exhibited acceptable elasticity, large bending displacement, and a high strain transfer rate, making it ideal for monitoring significant deformations in rock and soil. A linear calibration equation was established for the normalized impedance change–strain relationship of the piezoelectric inclinometer tube through calibration tests. Furthermore, a theoretical model was derived to convert the normalized impedance change to the deflection of the piezoelectric inclinometer tube using the finite difference method. Theoretical and experimental values were significantly consistent, with strain and deflection measurement accuracies of 10 με and 0.1 mm, respectively, and an average calculation error of less than 4%. These results are expected to improve the distributed monitoring of horizontal displacement in rock and soil.

Bayesian Inference and Condition Assessment Based on the Deflection of Aging Reinforced Concrete Hollow Slab Bridges

This paper presents a Bayesian inference framework for updating the structural rigidity ratio of aging hollow slab RC bridges using deflection measurements. The framework models the structural rigidity ratio as a stochastic field along the hollow RC slabs, using the Karhunen–Loeve (KL) transform to capture spatial correlation and variation. Bayesian inference is then applied using deflection data from static loading tests, supported by a finite element model (FEM) and a Kriging surrogate model to enhance computational efficiency. The posterior distribution of the structural rigidity ratio is derived using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler. The proposed method was tested on an RC bridge with hollow slabs, using deflection measurements taken before and after reinforcement. The Bayesian updates indicated increased structural rigidity ratios after reinforcement, validating the effectiveness of the reinforcement. The deflection predictions from the updated models closely matched the measurements, with the 95% confidence bounds encompassing most of the data. This demonstrates the method’s validity and robustness in capturing the structural improvements post-reinforcement.

Effects of adhesive and frictional contacts on the nanoindentation of two-dimensional material drumheads

Nanoindentation of suspended circular thin films, dubbed drumhead nanoindentation, is a widely adopted technique for characterizing the mechanical properties of micro- or nano-membranes, including atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials. This method involves suspending an ultrathin specimen over a circular microhole and applying a precise indenting force at the center using an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe. Classical solutions assuming a point load and a fixed edge, which are referred to as Schwerin-type solutions, are commonly used to estimate Young’s modulus of the membrane material out of load–deflection measurements. However, given the widespread experimental evidence for adhesive and frictional contacts between the probe tip and the membrane, as well as sliding between the membrane and its supporting substrate, quantitative investigations of the effects of these interactions are required. In this paper, we formulate a boundary value problem to rigorously model such effects, ensuring relevance to experimental operations. Our numerical analyses reveal that the adhesive effect at the tip-membrane interface diminishes as the indentation depth increases or the tip size decreases. Furthermore, frictional interactions at this interface shift the maximum membrane stress from the center to the tip-membrane contact line with increasing indentation depth and interfacial shear stress. At large indentation depths, the size of the indenter tip and the sliding of the membrane-substrate are found to have a large effect on the indentation load–deflection relationship. Thus, we propose a new approximate formula for this relationship assuming a non-adhesive and frictionless spherical tip of a finite radius and a slippery contact with the supporting substrate. This formula is more accurate than the widely used Schwerin-type solution. It can be used to simultaneously extract the in-plane stiffness of the membrane and the shear strength at the membrane-substrate interface.

Comparative Evaluation of Falling Weight Deflectometer, Traffic Speed Deflectometer and Rapid Pavement Tester in Deflection Measurement

This study intends to compare deflections obtained from traffic speed deflection devices (TSDDs) with the deflections of the falling weight deflectometer (FWD). For this purpose, deflections were measured on five sections of three roads in the Norwegian road network using traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) and rapid pavement tester (Raptor). Deflections were also measured using FWD at three different temperatures and the curves of FWD deflections versus temperature (FWD temperature-dependent deflection curves) were obtained. These curves were used to correct the effect of temperature difference. It was shown that both TSD and Raptor have the potential to detect structural deficiencies; however, TSD had better consistency with FWD with regard to deflection values and deflection basin parameters. A refinement was then made to make the Raptor data more consistent with FWD data. Calculating bearing capacity before and after refinement revealed that refining Raptor data can substantially increase the consistency between Raptor and FWD.

MECHANISTIC ANALYSIS OF EARLY PAVEMENT DETERIORATION: APPLICATION TO THE GASSI - DOURBALI SECTION

This work deals with the empirical mechanistic analysis of pavement behaviour: application to the Gassi - Dourbali axis in Chad. It consists of carrying out a study to determine the probable causes of the deterioration observed on the section in question, and of recording the deterioration. Test pits on the asphalt section, distributed according to the severity of the deterioration, will be used to determine the thickness of the various layers of pavement and their geotechnical characteristics. Deflection measurements will be carried out over a distance of two thousand (2000) metres and on particularly deteriorated areas in order to determine the residual capacity of the pavement. The traffic study included a 3-day vehicle weighing campaign and a counting campaign at at least three (03) stations for a period of seven (7) days. Based on the information available, we reviewed the project from its conception to its completion, and even its termination. The main reason for the work being halted was the early deterioration of the first 54 kilometres of asphalt. What went wrong?The Deming wheel is a tool for analysing and diagnosing projects. Plan Do Check Act is a question and answer method. It has enabled us to plan our actions, namely: surveys of deterioration, the organisation of traffic counts, the axle weighing campaign, and then the launch of geotechnical tests. Following an analysis of the rutting mechanism, recommendations are proposed to reduce the risk of rutting and to repair the pavement. Cracks appearing on the surface as a result of the combined causes we have listed are accentuated by rain, wind and vehicle movements, which crumple the earthenware and cause it to break up into debris or masses.

The Influence of Seasonal Effects on Railway Vertical Track Modulus

Adequate vertical track support is essential for safe and efficient railway operations. Insufficient support leads to distorted track geometry, increased dynamic loads, component stress, poor ride quality, rolling stock damage, and derailment risks. Current inspection practices focus on assessing the condition of the track components and geometry, rather than the root causes of degradation. To improve this condition, this study presents the use of a methodology that utilizes an autonomous vertical track deflection measurement system mounted on a loaded rail car (36 tonnes/axle) to support track maintenance decisions in a heavy haul railroad located in southeast Brazil. The system continuously measured substructure stiffness along the railway line. Over one year, data were collected from over 8000 km of track. The study highlighted seasonal effects on track degradation over time, identifying areas with significant deflections and high deflection rates, which contribute to issues such as differential settlement and reduced lifespan of track components. Additionally, the study revealed seasonal effects, with deflections peaking during wet weather and decreasing during dry cycles. A method to classify weak track areas was developed, facilitating monitoring and enabling more effective maintenance planning, contributing to the reduction of overall track maintenance costs and enhancing safety and operational efficiency.

Torsional Behavior of Waste Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.

Factory made steel fiber and steel fiber derived from worn tires was used to develop cement concrete, which was subjected to torsional forces. A dedicated stand for torsion tests, allowing for the measurement of force, deflection, and torsion angle, was used. The test results showed that both the factory-made fiber and the waste steel fiber significantly improved torsional properties of the concrete matrix. The test results of specimens made with waste fiber were characterized by slightly worse results compared to factory-made fibers, but there was a significant improvement in torsional properties compared to samples without fibers. Taking into account the financial and environmental benefits, the application of waste steel fiber recovered from car tires could be an interesting alternative to using commercially sold steel fiber applied for the production of construction elements subjected to torsional forces.

Experimental and numerical investigation on flexural behavior of steel-UHPC composite slabs with PBL shear connectors

A full-scale flexural test was conducted to investigate the flexural and cracking behavior of Steel-UHPC Composite Slabs (SUCS) with PBL (Perfobond rib) shear connectors, with a focus on analyzing the impact of the tensile reinforcement ratio on flexural performance. During the test, the flexural performance of SUCS was assessed through measurements of strain, mid-span deflection, relative slip, crack width, and crack morphology. A section analysis was performed to predict the flexural and cracking behaviors of SUCS, which was further verified by experimental results. The results show that the PBL shear key effectively ensures the overall force of steel plate and UHPC plate, resulting in good ductility of SUCS under negative bending moment. As tensile reinforcement ratio increased from 0.89 % to 1.69 %, the cracking load remained stable while the yield load and ultimate load demonstrated significant improvements of 54 % and 57 %, respectively. The cross-section analysis indicated that with the increment in tensile reinforcement ratio, the contribution of tensile reinforcement to flexural capacity increased, whereas the contribution of UHPC to tensile capacity notably decreased. The equivalent uniform stress reduction coefficient of the UHPC's tensile zone, determined through simplified negative flexural bearing capacity, was calculated to be 0.87. The failure mode of negative flexural resistance differs significantly from positive flexural resistance, as it involves the breaking of the tensile steel bar.

High–Speed Laser Modulation for Low–Noise Micro–Cantilever Array Deflection Measurement

In this paper, an innovative approach is introduced to address the noise issues associated with micro–cantilever array deflection measurement systems employing multiple lasers. Conventional systems are affected by laser mode hopping during switching, resulting in wavelength instability and beam spot fluctuations that take several hundred milliseconds to stabilize. To mitigate these limitations, a high–speed laser modulation technique is utilized, leveraging the averaging effect over multiple modulation cycles within the sampling window. By driving the lasers with a high–frequency carrier signal, a low–noise and stable output suitable for micro–cantilever beam deflection measurement is achieved. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by simultaneously modulating the lasers and rapidly observing the spectral and centroid variations during high–speed switching using a custom–built high–speed spectrometer. The centroid fluctuations are also analyzed under different modulation frequencies. The experimental results confirm that the high–speed modulation method can reduce the standard deviation of beam spot fluctuations by more than 90%, leading to significant improvements in noise reduction compared to traditional laser switching methods. The proposed high–speed laser modulation approach offers a promising solution for enhancing the precision and stability of multi–laser micro–cantilever array deflection measurement systems.

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF FLOOR PANELS DEFORMABILITY OF A LARGE-PANEL SYSTEM BUILDING AFTER RENOVATION

This paper deals with a field tests of prefabricated reinforced concrete floor panels of a multistory building by the method of hydrostatic loading. Object of study is presented by 3 damaged floor slabs of a 9-storey residential building which was hit during the russian invasion. After renovation of panels using the constructive solution which consists of a reinforced build-up layer in the compressed zone (upper part) and additional external reinforcement in the stretched zone (lower part) connected to each other with the help of anchor connections, a series of tests with water loading were set. For creation of loading an inventory pool was used, which was gradually filled with water at a step of 1kN/m2. Maximum created loading level was 5kN/m2 which corresponds to the operational load. After reaching the maximum load, the panels were left under load for 15 hours and then fully unloaded in steps of 1kN/m2. For each panel two type of tests were established: first when panel had both upper and lower part of reinforcement, and second – when lower reinforcement within steel beams was removed. The idea of dismantling of steel beams connected with previously performed numerical analysis which gave to little difference in deflections of panels for these two cases. Deflection measurements at critical locations along with thorough visual inspection were conducted during the loading and unloading cycles. No damage was observed during the in-situ loading and unloading cycles. Maximum vertical deflection for panel before dismantling of beams lies in the diapason of 1.95-2.1mm and 2.31-2.4mm after they were removed. These results meet the requirements of regulatory restrictions on the maximum deflection equal to 20 mm for this structure. Difference in deflection for two cases doesn’t exceed 20% which allows to abandon the use of lower reinforcement in the form of steel beams in the future. As the size of the pool doesn’t cover the whole panel area, the equivalent uniformly distributed load was also calculated using Lira software. Keywords. Large panel system house, reinforcement, floor panel, method of hydrostatic loading, deflection.

Instrumentation and testing for road condition monitoring – A state-of-the-art review

The sensing instrumentation and testing operations routinely implemented in-situ to monitor the condition of both paved (flexible, rigid) and unpaved roads are critically reviewed: image acquisition, appraisal of surface profile and skid resistance, measurement of stress, strain and deflection, execution of tomography tests, evaluation of environmental parameters as well as determination of traffic volume. Further, this state-of-the-art review sheds light on the financial aspects and cost spectra of the different diagnostic procedures. Finally, a systematic literature review highlights trends in recent research and documents that scientific studies have mainly focused on remote imaging, deflection and tomography measurements.

Temperature dependence of the diffusion, thermodiffusion and Soret coefficient of a dilute polystyrene/toluene solution as measured by means of a transient holographic grating technique

We have measured diffusion, thermodiffusion and Soret coefficients of a dilute solution of polystyrene in toluene by means of the transient holographic grating technique of thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering over a temperature range from 10 to 50 °C. The results show a systematic deviation from optical beam deflection measurements over a narrower temperature interval of the order of ten percent but the identical temperature dependence. A comparison with previous measurements from our laboratory, new control measurements and literature data does not lead to a clear conclusion about the correct values. From the diffusion coefficient a temperature independent hydrodynamic radius is obtained. Both the Soret coefficient and the viscosity-scaled thermodiffusion coefficient ηDT, for which a universal value has been reported in the case of asymmetric systems with large solute entities, decrease with temperature.

Optical tool deflection measurement approach using shadow imaging

In incremental sheet forming, geometrical deviations occur due to deflections of the forming stylus. To compensate the deviations, a non-contact in-process tool deflection measurement is required that is capable of measuring the tool tip position with a measurement uncertainty of 15 μm in a volume of 2.0 m × 1.0 m × 0.2 m. For this purpose, an optical multi-sensor system is designed. Each sensor evaluates lateral shift and magnification of the shadow cast from the LED attached close to the tool tip, to enable measuring the lateral and axial tool tip position component, respectively. The experimental validation shows that the sensing principle is sufficiently robust regarding ambient light. As a result, despite a remaining systematic error after calibration that dominates the uncertainty, the measurement requirements are fulfilled by a single sensor regarding the lateral position component. For the axial position component, a triangulation with two sensors is necessary.

Measurement of cryogenic valve straightness without accessing valve exterior

The work presents a method of noninvasive measurement of long-stem cryogenic valve straightness, using simple and generally available means. The method does not require an access to valve exterior, what is a common requirement in practice, where such access is impossible in case of helium cryogenic valves confined in all-welded valve boxes. Valve’s deflection is computed using computer vision algorithms (Hough transform for circles), based on photographs of valve interior. Results obtained by the method have been validated using reference data from a validation test stand with a ruler for deflection measurement. The method may be applied for a more general case, namely to measure deflections of pipes ended with sleeves with diameters smaller than the pipe’s diameter.

Research on Full-Field Dynamic Deflection Measurement of Beams Based on Dense Feature Matching and Mismatch Removal Method

To solve the problems of measurement errors led by mismatches of dense feature matching in machine vision structural deflection measurement, this paper proposes a dense feature extraction, matching, and dual-step mismatch-removal-based full-field structural dynamic deflection measurement method. First, the of dense feature detection and matching theory is introduced to extract the SIFT feature points on a structural surface in an image sequence and matched by FLANN to trace the structure movement, and the mechanisms and causes of mismatches are analyzed. Then, a dual-step mismatch removal method combining RANSAC and Structural Displacement Continuity Restriction (SDCR) is introduced to achieve full-field dynamic beam deflection measurement. The proposed method is validated through indoor cantilever beam experiments, and results show that the method can effectively eliminate a large number of SIFT feature mismatches (accounting for approximately 55% of the total matched feature points). The full-field dynamic displacement field of the beam can be measured with the correctly matched dense feature points by converting dense feature point displacements into continuous and uniform spatiotemporal deflections of the structure. A comparison with the GOM Correlate Professional DIC measurement system was conducted, and the maximum measurement error of the cantilever beam dynamic displacement of the proposed method is between 0.024 and 0.053 mm, the root mean squared error of displacement is approximately 0.01 mm, and the correlation coefficient between two deflection–time curves reaches 0.9964. The proposed algorithm is proven to be effective in full-field displacement measurement and has great potential in future structural health monitoring of bridges.