Numerical and Experimental Validation of a Structural Health Monitoring Technique for Critical Infrastructure

A Damage Identification method developed for infrastructure equipped with seismic response modification devices is hereafter summarized and validated through numerical and experimental case studies. The output-only method was tested via Finite Element analyses of two bridge structures, the Vincent Thomas Bridge and the Benicia Martinez Bridge, equipped with viscous dampers and friction pendulum bearings, respectively. The application of the method to real ambient vibration data from the Vincent Thomas Bridge proved successful in identifying early stages of degradation of seismic response modification devices. The Level III damage detection method was also applied to a three-span cable-stayed bridge, the Yokohama Bay Bridge, based on accelerometric records from the 2011 East Japan Earthquake. The integration of the method in an innovative monitoring systems aimed at the real-time remote assessment of the structural adequacy of aging critical infrastructure is under development.