Structural Health Monitoring

Structural Health Monitoring has been defined in a number of ways by different groups of researchers such as"

SHM denotes a system with the ability to detect and interpret adverse ‘changes’ in a structure in order to improve reliability and reduce life-cycle costs. The greatest challenge in designing a SHM system is knowing what ‘changes’ to look for and how to identify them. [Kessler, 2001]

The process of implementing a damage identification strategy for aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering infrastructure is referred to as SHM. Damage is defined as changes to the material and/or geometric properties of these systems including changes to the boundary conditions and system connectivity which adversely affect the performance of the system. [Farrar, 2006]

SHM has also been described as the “acquisition, validation and analysis of technical data to facilitate life-cycle management decisions.” [Hall, 1999]

SHM aims to give a diagnosis of the state of the constituent material at every moment during the life of a structure, of the different parts and of the full assembly of these parts constituting the structure as a whole. The state of the structure must remain in the domain specified in the design although this can be altered by normal ageing, due to usage, by the action of the environment and by accidental events. [Balageas, 2001]