Structural health monitoring of Glass structures

Structural health monitoring(SHM) is the implementation of a damage identification strategy on a structure to monitor its current health condition. Damage is defined as changes to the material and/or geometric properties of these structures, including changes to the boundary conditions or system connectivity. Damage affects the current or future performance of these structures. The shift from conventional visual inspections to advanced intelligent sensor based SHM is rapidly gaining popularity in the past years both academically and commercially. In the meanwhile, the application of glass as structural components or large façades has attracted more attention in recent years in comparison to the mere usage as relatively small infill panels in the past. Although structural glass enhances the appealing appearance of the structure, its brittle nature and sudden breakage introduce a risk which necessitates the implementation of a routine monitoring system to enhance safety by early alert to the presence and location of the damage in order to provide reliable maintenance approaches where applicable. While many researchers have studied application of different SHM methods on various types of structures, SHM implementation on glass structures has received limited attention and further efforts are required to address efficient management of these structures. The aim of this project is to devise and implement a structural health monitoring approach by in situ application of sensors on glass structures in order to identify the presence of potential damages, localize them, as well as estimating remaining service life of the structure. The project involves both numerical and experimental stages.