APPLICATION OF A NON-DESTRUCTIVE APPROACH FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING ON REAL-WORD STRUCTURES

The ability to assess the integrity of real-world structures is a critical objective, particularly when it comes to cultural heritage buildings. Monitoring the condition of these buildings is essential to preserve their longevity against the gradual accumulation of damage over the years and so ensuring timely interventions. In such cases, it becomes especially important to preserve the structures' integrity throughout the monitoring process itself, making noninvasive and non-destructive methods essential for effective and sustainable maintenance. In this context, a dedicated method implemented in a software based on vibration analysis was tested to conduct Structural Health Monitoring analysis on a real-world structure made by truss elements. The analyzed structure is a lattice structure approximately 9 meters in height, monitored using 18 uniaxial accelerometers positioned in pairs across 9 different levels. The data utilized was gathered through continuous monitoring over a span of one year. The results obtained are highly significant, as all minor damages were successfully identified using the applied processing methods, which relied solely on the monitored data, without requiring any prior knowledge of the actual structure. This is particularly important, as acquiring such data for a structure built many years ago would be extremely challenging. Furthermore, the results were based on acquisitions conducted in environmental conditions, each lasting 10 minutes, providing a reasonable timeframe for obtaining immediate feedback regarding potential damage to the structure. So, the fact that this method is reference-free, requires a relatively small number of accelerometers, and involves short acquisition times, makes it an appealing approach for initial damage detection, while also paving the way for more in-depth investigations.