Field tests of a high-speed video system that reveals distortion by exaggerating tiny deflections show promise as the basis for a new, flexible and relatively inexpensive structural health analysis tool. Researchers believe it could provide an integrated, non-contact system for structural monitoring of bridges and pipelines.
“Recently, measurements on the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, N.H., revealed some interesting torsional modes of vibration as valuable information in assessing the performance of the bridge,” reports researcher Oral Buyukozturk, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.