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This research paper adopts the fundamental tenets of advanced technologies in industry 4.0 to monitor the structural health of concrete beam members using cost-effective non-destructive technologies. In so doing, the work illustrates how a coalescence of low-cost digital technologies can seamlessly integrate to solve practical construction problems.

A mixed philosophies epistemological design is adopted to implement the empirical quantitative analysis of “real-time” data collected via sensor-based technologies streamed through a Raspberry Pi and uploaded onto a cloud-based system. Data was analysed using a hybrid approach that combined both vibration-characteristic-based method and linear variable differential transducers (LVDT).

The research utilises a novel digital research approach for accurately detecting and recording the localisation of structural cracks in concrete beams. This non-destructive low-cost approach was shown to perform with a high degree of accuracy and precision, as verified by the LVDT measurements. This research is testament to the fact that as technological advancements progress at an exponential rate, the cost of implementation continues to reduce to produce higher-accuracy “mass-market” solutions for industry practitioners.

Accurate structural health monitoring of concrete structures necessitates expensive equipment, complex signal processing and skilled operator. The concrete industry is in dire need of a simple but reliable technique that can reduce the testing time, cost and complexity of maintenance of structures. This was the first experiment of its kind that seeks to develop an unconventional approach to solve the maintenance problem associated with concrete structures. This study merges industry 4.0 digital technologies with a novel low-cost and automated hybrid analysis for real-time structural health monitoring of concrete beams by fusing several multidisciplinary approaches into one integral technological configuration.

This paper gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied to the analysis of ceramics and glass materials. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations on the subject that were published between 1977‐1998. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, ferrites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a methodology aimed to detect debonding induced by low impacts energies in typical aeronautical structures. The methodology is based on high frequency sensors/actuators system simulation and the application of elliptical triangulation (ET) and probability ellipse (PE) methods as damage detector. Numerical and experimental results on small-scale stiffened panels made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material are discussed.

The damage detection methodology is based on high frequency sensors/actuators piezoceramics system enabling the ET and the PE methods. The approach is based on ultrasonic guided waves propagation measurement and simulation within the structure and perturbations induced by debonding or impact damage that affect the signal characteristics.

The work is focused on debonding detection via test and simulations and calculation of damage indexes (DIs). The ET and PE methodologies have demonstrated the link between the DIs and debonding enabling the identification of position and growth of the damage.

The debonding between two structural elements caused in manufacturing or in-service is very difficult to detect, especially when the components are in low accessibility areas. This criticality, together with the uncertainty of long-term adhesive performance and the inability to continuously assess the debonding condition, induces the aircrafts’ manufacturers to pursuit ultraconservative design approach, with in turn an increment in final weight of these parts. The aim of this research’s activity is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology and the robustness of the structural health monitoring system to detect debonding in a typical aeronautical structural joint.

A design of sensor networks for structural health monitoring (SHM) with guided waves poses a hard challenge. Therefore different approaches are possible. A known one is the usage of probability of detection (POD) criteria. Here, areas of potential impact sensitivity are calculated for every sensor which leads to a POD. The number of sensors is increased until a demanded POD is reached. However, these calculations are usually based on finite element methods and underlie different assumptions and approximations which can cause different inaccuracies. These limitations are avoided by using an experimental data basis for virtual sensors in this paper. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

An air-coupled ultrasound scanning technique is used for guided wave investigations. Recorded displacements of a structure surface are used as stimulation of virtual sensors which can be designed by software and positioned within available data field. For the calculation of sensor signals an isogeometric finite element model is used. The virtually bonded layer of the virtual piezoceramic sensor interpolates with non-uniform rational B-Splines (NURBS) the measured nodal data for each time step. This interpolation corresponds to a displacement boundary condition and is used to calculate the electrical potential at the free surface of the sensor.

Experimental data based on air-coupled ultrasound scanning technique can be used for elimination of disadvantages in numerical simulations by developing sensor networks for SHM. In combination with a transfer matrix method (TM) a three-dimensional displacement of specimen surface for complex composites can be calculated. To obtain the sensor signal a surface-bonded sensor is modeled by an isogeometric finite element approach. A good accordance is found between calculated virtual sensor signal and its experimental verification.

Some deviations between calculated signal and its experimental verification are mainly justified by different spectral transfer functions between wave field scanning technique and signal recording of applied sensors. Furthermore, sensor influence on wave propagation is neglected in the presented method.

In this paper, the principle of virtual sensors is applied on anisotropic multilayered lamina by using isogeometric finite elements for piezoelectric sensors. This enables any sensor dimension, layout and position on complex composites. Furthermore a bonding layer between specimen and sensor is considered. The method allows a detailed analysis of sensor behavior on a specimen surface and the design and optimization of entire sensor networks for SHM.

Ceramic materials and glasses have become important in modern industry as well as in the consumer environment. Heat resistant ceramics are used in the metal forming processes or as welding and brazing fixtures, etc. Ceramic materials are frequently used in industries where a wear and chemical resistance are required criteria (seals, liners, grinding wheels, machining tools, etc.). Electrical, magnetic and optical properties of ceramic materials are important in electrical and electronic industries where these materials are used as sensors and actuators, integrated circuits, piezoelectric transducers, ultrasonic devices, microwave devices, magnetic tapes, and in other applications. A significant amount of literature is available on the finite element modelling (FEM) of ceramics and glass. This paper gives a listing of these published papers and is a continuation of the author's bibliography entitled “Finite element modelling of ceramics and glass” and published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 16, 1999, pp. 510‐71 for the period 1977‐1998.

The form of the paper is a bibliography. Listed references have been retrieved from the author's database, MAKEBASE. Also Compendex has been checked. The period is 1998‐2004.

Provides a listing of 1,432 references. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

This paper makes it easy for professionals working with the numerical methods with applications to ceramics and glasses to be up‐to‐date in an effective way.

The smaller sizes of current electronic devices suggest the feasibility of creating a smart composite structure using piezoelectric implant to monitor in-situ and in-service conditions the life of civil and aerospace structures. Piezoelectric (lead zirconate-titanate (PZT)) sensors embedded within laminates composites represent a new branch of engineering with the potential to greatly enhance the confidence and use of these materials. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This study presents a health monitoring of laminates composites materials incorporating by piezoelectric (PZT) implant using acoustic emission (AE) technique. A series of specimens of laminate composite with and without embedded piezoelectric were tested in three-point bending tests in static and creep loading while continuously monitoring the response by the AE technique. The AE signals were analysed using the classification k-means method in order to identify the different damages and to follow the evolution of these various mechanisms for both types of materials (with and without embedded sensors).

Comparing embedded sensor to sensor mounted on the surface, the embedded sensor showed a much higher sensitivity. It was thus verified that the embedded AE sensor had great potential for AE monitoring in fibre reinforced composites structures.

Piezoelectric implant to monitor in-situ and in-service conditions the life of civil and aerospace structures.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a bolt loosening detection approach which integrates piezoelectric ceramics with active sensor technology.

When the ultrasonic wave propagates across the contact surface at the bolted joints, because of the existence of imperfect interface, only part of the ultrasonic wave energy is passed through it. According to the Hertz contact theory, the passed energy depends on the true contact area which is decided by the bolt pretension. Hence, by measuring the received energy with the sensing piezoelectric material, the bolt pretension or bolt loosening can be detected.

The experiment revealed that the wave energy propagated across the interface is strongly correlated to the torque level. This relationship will be a good indicator to detect the status of bolted joints. The presented method has a potential application for the monitoring of bolt load loss in-site. Moreover, some factors which will affect the propagation of ultrasonic wave across the bolted joints are discussed in this paper.

This paper provides a good criterion to detect bolt load loss.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an optimization method by combining artificial immune algorithm and finite element analysis to find the optimal exciting electrode of a piezoceramic plate type ultrasonic motor vibrator.

The artificial immune algorithm is selected as optimizer for its merit of fast convergence to global optimal solution. The finite element analysis is used to calculate the motion trajectory of contact point. The objective function is the work that the vibrator does to rotor. The design variables are the boundaries of exciting electrode on piezoceramic plate vibrator surface.

The calculated results and the experimental results show that using this method, both the position and the size of optimal exciting electrode of this ultrasonic motor can be quickly and accurately determined.

In order to successfully design an ultrasonic motor, both the position and the size of the exciting electrode must be investigated, so as to change more electric energy into mechanical energy. In this paper, an optimization method by combining artificial immune algorithm and finite element analysis is proposed for the exciting location optimization of a piezoceramic plate type ultrasonic motor to obtain large power output.

To provide an approach to vibration reduction of flexible spacecraft which operates in the presence of various disturbances, model uncertainty and control input non‐linearities during attitude control for spacecraft designers, which can help them analyze and design the attitude control system.

The new approach integrates the technique of active vibration suppression and the method of variable structure control. The design process is twofold: first design of the active vibration controller by using piezoelectric materials to add damping to the structures in certain critical modes in the inner feedback loop, and then a second feedback loop designed using the variable structure output feedback control (VSOFC) to slew the spacecraft and satisfy the pointing requirements.

Numerical simulations for the flexible spacecraft show that the precise attitude control and vibration suppression can be accomplished using the derived vibration attenuator and attitude control controller.

Studies on how to control the flywheel (motor) under the action of the friction are left for future work.

An effective method is proposed for the spacecraft engineers planning to design attitude control system for actively suppressing the vibration and at the same time quickly and precisely responding to the attitude control command.

This paper fulfills a useful source of theoretical analysis for the attitude control system design and offers practical help for the spacecraft designers.