Acoustic emission sensing of geotechnical infrastructure to improve resilience
Lead Research Organisation:
Loughborough University
Department Name: Civil and Building Engineering
Abstract
When structures within the ground move and deform they generate noise some of which propagates as stress waves, Acoustic Emissions (AE). This project shall develop techniques to use these AE to listen for deterioration of critical infrastructure assets to provide early warning of deterioration and facilitate targeted maintenance and renewal. The project has vast potential applications as the UK's aging geotechnical assets comprise >10,000km of rail track; >10,000km of pipelines used to convey petroleum products; >36,000km of potable water trunk mains pipeline; >1000 offshore wind turbines; 100s km of tunnels; and 100,000s of bridges, earth retaining structures and foundations. Deterioration at any location can have catastrophic consequences for entire networks.
This project will address the urgent need for affordable sensing technologies that can provide continuous, remote, real-time information with high spatial and temporal resolution on geotechnical assets. This will be realised through laboratory-scale element tests to develop understanding of the fundamental AE behaviour of the ground, and large/full-scale experiments on geotechnical assets (e.g. rail tracks, buried pipes, etc) to subject them to controlled deterioration with known boundary conditions.
This project will address the urgent need for affordable sensing technologies that can provide continuous, remote, real-time information with high spatial and temporal resolution on geotechnical assets. This will be realised through laboratory-scale element tests to develop understanding of the fundamental AE behaviour of the ground, and large/full-scale experiments on geotechnical assets (e.g. rail tracks, buried pipes, etc) to subject them to controlled deterioration with known boundary conditions.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509516/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1807389 | Studentship | EP/N509516/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/03/2020 | Helen Heather-Smith |
| Description | A two-stage framework for: (1) deploying an appropriately spaced acoustic emission (AE) monitoring network using peizoelectric sensors coupled to steel structures within different soil-structure systems, and (2) then interpreting the measured AE data (in various parametric forms such as AE rates, b-values, frequency, etc.) using both absolute and rate based changes in time has been developed from a combination of computational (wave propagation within Disperse) and physical (shear box and large-scale) modelling experiments. |
| Exploitation Route | The development of an initial framework is a step towards the implementation and refinement of field-scale monitoring systems for monitoring the deterioration and general health of buried steel infrastructure systems (i.e. utility pipe networks, pile foundations). Further work refining the interpretation of results and expanding the potential uses of the system, such as with other infrastructure, as well as distinguishing between different AE generation sources would move the work forward more. |
| Sectors | Construction,Environment,Transport |