In the past 25 years, we have witnessed radical developments in informatics, communication and sensor technologies, which are transforming the way the existing civil structures and infrastructure are operated and maintained. Smart materials and structures, with embedded sensors and systems capable of self-diagnosis, are becoming part of our life, from simple goods to large civil infrastructure systems. Information from various sensors and smart elements is today easily accessed and used by the residents of our developing smart cities and communities. Operators, users and other relevant parties involved in the construction process, maintenance or the safe use of our structures can monitor their condition and performance, and make informed decision on their preservation, retrofit or exploitation, at any stage of their lifespan.
In this themed issue, we wish to exemplify with three representative case studies the way that the recent advances in structural health monitoring (SHM) are affecting the operation of the critical infrastructure of our cities and communities.
The first paper addresses the problem of maintenance of buried telecom infrastructure, a backbone for economic stability, growth, competitiveness and productivity in modern society, which is a critical element of urban environments. In their contribution, Metje et al. (2022) investigate the possibilities of state-of-the-art non-destructive evaluation techniques to understand the condition of the underground infrastructure. The experimental study includes validation on a buried duct test facility where a range of different damage types was created.
Selvakumaran et al. (2022) explore the fascinating possibilities of satellite-enabled monitoring as applied to road transportation infrastructure. The interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) technique is used to provide millimetre-scale measurements of the Hammersmith flyover (one of the most critical urban road links in London, UK), that were validated with in situ sensor measurements. The results suggest that satellite monitoring will enable asset owners to collect regular measurements of bridge movements to complement and add value to current inspection methods and potentially give early warning to defective bridge components.
Flood-induced scour is the principal cause of bridge failure worldwide. Maroni et al. (2022) illustrate the development of an SHM-based management system for bridge scour, which extends current risk-rating procedures, based on visual inspection, by incorporating information from different types of sensors. The system is applied to a bridge network located in south-west Scotland in a heavy-flood scenario. It is shown that integrating scour monitoring data leads to a more accurate scour risk rating, thus helping transportation agencies in prioritising bridge inspections and risk mitigation actions.
In summary, this issue presents three successful applications, which clearly illustrate how trending advancements in sensors, informatics and communication are impacting the reliability of our city and community infrastructure, ultimately enhancing the safety against natural hazards and improving the residents’ well-being.
