Papers by Author: Satish Nagarajaiah

Abstract: Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important and growing field in civil engineering. The goal of SHM techniques is to identify, quantify and locate damage in structures. In light of the aging infrastructure and recent failures of important bridges, long-term monitoring techniques are being increasing investigated and adopted. In addition to SHM, structural control (SC) is increasingly adopted in modern structures around the world. In the past two decades a number of SC techniques, including, passive, semi-active, and active control methods have been developed and adopted in civil engineering–particularly, in infrastructure such as important tall buildings, critical facilities, and long span bridges. Both SHM and SC technology face significant challenges due to the size and scale of civil engineering structures. In response of these challenges researchers in the U.S.A and around the world have developed new and innovative techniques.This paper summarizes some of the ongoing research in the U.S.A. in the area of monitoring, damage detection and control in civil engineering structures.

Abstract: This study validates an adaptive control algorithm capable of compensating for online sensor failure. Online failure is a relevant problem when considering actively damped, multi-story smart buildings experiencing a disturbance event. In recent years, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have proven very efficient in pattern classification and control applications. In this study, the unique application of ANNs involving Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) combined with H∞ optimal control has demonstrated three significant characteristic advantages: (1) real time adaptability, (2) optimal convergence and computation time, and (3) most importantly, no offline training. The novelty of the proposed controller is elucidated by performing disturbance rejection tests involving a scaled two degree of freedom shear frame subjected to a combined H∞ and ANN control. A bench scale structural model is instrumented with piezoelectric sensors and actuators. After the onset of a first mode disturbance, the structural frame is subjected to a complete sensor failure. The proposed controller is shown to enhance the performance of a baseline H∞ controller in the presence of sensor failure.