Vertical dynamic deflection measurement in concrete beams with the Microsoft Kinect

Area of Science:

• Structural Engineering
• Robotics and Computer Vision
• Materials Science

Background:

• The Microsoft Kinect is a popular, low-cost RGB-D camera suitable for measuring dynamic phenomena.
• Accurate measurement of reinforced concrete beam deflection is crucial for structural health monitoring.
• Existing methods for measuring dynamic deflection can be costly or complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a Microsoft Kinect-based system for measuring the deflection of reinforced concrete beams under cyclic loading.
• To assess the precision and accuracy of the Kinect-based system for dynamic displacement reconstruction.
• To explore novel image processing and reconstruction algorithms for depth imagery.

Main Methods:

• Development of new segmentation methods for object extraction from Kinect depth imagery.
• Implementation of vertical displacement reconstruction algorithms.
• Testing the system on reinforced concrete beams subjected to cyclic loads in laboratory conditions.

Main Results:

• The Kinect-based system successfully reconstructed time-dependent displacements of concrete beams.
• Vertical displacements were reconstructed with submillimetre precision.
• The system achieved milliHz-level accuracy in reconstructing displacement frequency.

Conclusions:

• A cost-effective Microsoft Kinect-based system can accurately measure dynamic deflection of reinforced concrete beams.
• The developed segmentation and reconstruction algorithms are effective for depth imagery analysis.
• This technology offers a promising approach for structural health monitoring and dynamic testing.