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Special Topic
Special Topic - Instrumentation and Health Monitoring of StructuresThe objective of the course is to introduce the students to the basic concepts of instrumentation, transducer types, and data acquisition systems necessary for performance evaluation and long-term health monitoring of structures. The specific topics covered will include a primer in strain-gage based transducers, other types of transducers including inductive, fibre-optic, vibration-based and non-contact devices, fundamentals of multifunction data acquisition systems, and design of robust instrumentation systems for remote monitoring of structures. There will be several hands-on laboratory sessions and demonstration sessions as a part of the special topics course. Challenges in the use of such monitoring systems will be addressed by undertaking case studies in service monitoring of high-performance concrete bridges, precast-prestressed pavements and Tainter gates in hydraulic dams.
1. Apply key concepts involved in the practice of experimental mechanics.2. Critically analyse strain-gage based transducer design for load and deformation measurements and apply transducers including LVDTs, accelerometers, load cells, piezo-electric sensors, fibre-optic sensors, vibration-based transducers, thermistors, thermocouples and non-contact measurement devices.3. Select and create multifunction data acquisition systems to provide necessary resolution, frequency response as well as multiplexing of necessary transducer outputs. 4. Select and create instrumentation plans for performance evaluation and remote health monitoring of structures in service including bridges, pavements and dams, critically reflecting the limits of the derived database.5. Understand data acquisition software and analysis features for health monitoring systems
Subject to approval of the Programme Director.
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Ke Jiang
Gopal Gopalaratnam
Domestic fee $1,268.00
International Postgraduate fees
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Civil and Environmental Engineering .