Detecting Multiple Damages in UHPFRC Beams through Modal Curvature Analysis

Area of Science:

• Structural Health Monitoring
• Materials Science
• Civil Engineering

Background:

• Curvature-based damage detection is established for concrete structures.
• Limited research exists on identifying distributed damage in multiple zones.
• Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a novel material with exceptional properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply an enhanced modal curvature analysis combined with wavelet transform curvature (WTC) for damage detection in UHPFRC beams.
• To identify and highlight distributed damage zones in UHPFRC structural elements.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the enhanced method compared to traditional damage index (DI) methods.

Main Methods:

• Casting and controlled damage induction (sawing) in UHPFRC beams.
• Experimental modal analysis using accelerometers and operational modal analysis.
• Finite element model (FEM) simulation for comparative analysis.
• Calculation of modal curvature using cubic spline interpolation.
• Application of damage index (DI) and WTC methods for damage identification.

Main Results:

• The enhanced modal curvature WTC method successfully identified damaged zones in UHPFRC beams.
• The WTC method demonstrated superior performance in highlighting damage compared to the DI method.
• Both experimental and FEM data confirmed the effectiveness of the developed method.

Conclusions:

• The coupled modal curvature WTC method is effective for identifying distributed damage in UHPFRC beams.
• This enhanced technique offers improved accuracy for structural health monitoring of UHPFRC structures.
• The study validates the potential of advanced signal processing techniques for advanced construction materials.