Paul Cahill

Energy Harvesting from Train-Induced Response in Bridges

The integration of large infrastructure with energy-harvesting systems is a growing field with potentially new and important applications. The possibility of energy harvesting from ambient vibratio ...

Dynamic response signatures of a scaled model platform for floating wind turbines in an ocean wave basin

Understanding of dynamic behaviour of offshore wind floating substructures is extremely important in relation to design, operation, maintenance and management of floating wind farms. This paper presents assessment of nonlinear signatures of dynamic responses of a scaled tension-leg platform (TLP) in a wave tank exposed to different regular wave conditions and sea states characterized by the Bretschneider, the Pierson–Moskowitz and the JONSWAP spectra. Dynamic responses of the TLP were monitored at different locations using load cells, a camera-based motion recognition system and a laser Doppler vibrometer. The analysis of variability of the TLP responses and statistical quantification of their linearity or nonlinearity, as non-destructive means of structural monitoring from the output-only condition, remains a challenging problem. In this study, the delay vector variance (DVV) method is used to statistically study the degree of nonlinearity of measured response signals from a TLP. DVV is observed to create a marker estimating the degree to which a change in signal nonlinearity reflects real-time behaviour of the structure and also to establish the sensitivity of the instruments employed to these changes. The findings can be helpful in establishing monitoring strategies and control strategies for undesirable levels or types of dynamic response and can help to better estimate changes in system characteristics over the life cycle of the structure.

Effect of Road Surface, Vehicle, and Device Characteristics on Energy Harvesting from Bridge-Vehicle Interactions

Energy harvesting to power sensors for structural health monitoring SHM has received huge attention worldwide. A number of practical aspects affecting energy harvesting and the possibility of health monitoring directly from energy harvesters is investigated here. The key idea is the amount of power received from a damaged and an undamaged structure varying and the signature of such variation can be used for SHM. For this study, a damaged bridge and an undamaged bridge are considered with harvesters located at different positions and the power harvested is accessed numerically to determine how energy harvesting can act as a damage detector and monitor. Bridge-vehicle interaction is exploited to harvest energy. For a damaged bridge, a bilinear breathing crack is considered. Variable surface roughness according to ISO 8606:1995E is considered such that the real values can be considered in the simulation. The possibility of a drive-by type health monitoring using energy harvesting is highlighted and the effects of road surface on such monitoring are identified. The sensitivity of the harvester health monitoring to locations and extents of crack damage are reported. This study investigates the effects of multiple harvesters and the effects of vehicular parameters on the harvested power. Continuous harvesting over a length of the bridge is considered semianalytically. A comparison among the numerical simulations, detailed finite element analysis, and experimental results emphasizes the feasibility of the proposed method.

Data of piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting of a bridge undergoing vibration testing and train passage

The data presented in this article is in relation to the research article “Vibration energy harvesting based monitoring of an operational bridge undergoing forced vibration and train passage” Cahill et al. (2018) [1]. The article provides data on the full-scale bridge testing using piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters on Pershagen Bridge, Sweden. The bridge is actively excited via a swept sinusoidal input. During the testing, the bridge remains operational and train passages continue. The test recordings include the voltage responses obtained from the vibration energy harvesters during these tests and train passages. The original dataset is made available to encourage the use of energy harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring.

Vibration Energy Harvesting for Monitoring Dynamical Systems

1Dynamical Systems and Risk Laboratory (DSRL), School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland 2College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, No. 2 Xue Yuan Road, University Town, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China 3Centre for Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI), University College Cork, Cork, Ireland 4Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), Chennai 600 036, India 5Institut für Integrierte Systeme, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

BRIDGE SMS: Intelligent bridge maintenance and management system

An intelligent system for bridge inspection and management requires a knowledge and appreciation of structural engineering, geotechnics, hydraulics, hydrology, materials and transport management. This study introduces BRIDGE SMS, an EU/FP7 project, which couples state-of-the art scientific knowledge in hydrology, river and structural engineering with industrial knowledge in infrastructure management and web-based bridge management. This involves the application of monitoring systems for the assessment and management of the structural and hydraulic vulnerability of infrastructure assets over waterways in an effort to develop an open-source cloud-based intelligent Decision Support System. BRIDGE SMS aims to deliver procedures for complete bridge inspections, through scour and structural inspections, and to develop a reliable decision support tool which would efficiently manage bridge failure risks in a cost-effective way.

PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) Material Based Energy Harvesting from Train and Damaged Bridge Interaction

This paper investigates the potential use of PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) for the purposes of damage detection for infrastructural elements, primarily for bridge elements. PVDF based sensors have been created and characterised in the laboratory in this regard. Finite element analysis of vehicle-bridge interactions with varying damage are carried out. The energy harvesting signatures of realistic trains are assessed and quantified for the modelled bridge. The effect of localized damage on the finite element model and its subsequent relationship with energy harvesting from the calibrated PVDF based sensors are investigated using the harvesting signatures of realistic trains. This approach is useful in terms of designing new generation smart bridge structures and for possible retrofit of existing structures. The use of train-bridge interaction ensures that the damage detection is carried out while the bridge is under operational conditions. Consequently, there is minimal to no impact on the existing operation of the bridge or the transport network during damage detection. The paper is expected to be useful for practicing engineers and researchers in the field of application of new materials in the next generation of bridge structures.

Horizontal Loading Effects of Fresh Concrete on Precast Arches

AbstractThis paper investigates the horizontal effect of fresh concrete on precast arches. A number of different models of horizontal pressure of fresh concrete are considered in this regard. The effects of fresh concrete on a precast arch are represented as a ratio of maximum normal stress from horizontal action of fresh concrete to the normal stress induced by the self-weight of the precast concrete arch. A parameter study on a number of geometric and operational variables was carried out. The implications of this horizontal loading from fresh concrete are discussed within the context of the potential financial effects.