Ricerc@Sapienza

The monitoring of structures with nondestructive techniques is a topical issue in the field of civil constructions. Over the years, modelling and identification procedures have been more and more integrated with each other, so that in standard cases, bridges for instance, structural monitoring activities based on the observation of natural frequencies are part of regular maintenance protocols. The information provided by these techniques derives from the observation of global quantities, so that more detailed information would often be desirable.
In this research project, we address some points that would benefit from further research. We focus on predictive models of structural elements, encompassing effects of prestress, defects, and temperature changes. Our investigations will concern:
-reconstruction of the image of damage, which may be obtained applying ultrasonic imaging techniques similar to those used in medical diagnosis;
-monitoring of the state of stress of structural elements in view of their protection against breakage or buckling, also with regard to states of stress induced by temperature changes.
Advancements in these fields require the development of models able to appropriately describe the structural response, accounting for geometrical and material nonlinearities. This makes possible to describe and investigate non trivial physical phenomena that could point to the best response quantities to be observed in the monitoring activities. These issues will be addressed in this research project within a unified framework encompassing modelling and identification.
The two researchers gathering around this project have fruitfully addressed these subjects in the past years, also with international collaborations. The proponent has consolidated experience in structural modelling and identification. The second member of the research team has a sounding experience in modelling of stability in structural members, either in their damaged or undamaged state.