Optimal sensor and actuator placement for structural health monitoring via an efficient convex cost-benefit optimization

Abstract

The number and position of sensors and actuators are key decision variables that dictate the performance of any structural health monitoring system. This paper proposes choosing them optimally by using an objective function that combines a measure of parameter uncertainty, the expected information entropy, along with the cost of both sensors and actuators. The resulting optimization problem over discrete decision variables is computationally challenging, but here it is convexified by relaxing them into continuous variables, thus obtaining a significant reduction of the computational cost. The proposed approach is applied to ultrasonic guided-wave based inspection and is illustrated using two case studies with arbitrary geometries and different materials. The results demonstrate the high efficiency and accuracy of the convex optimization in trading-off uncertainty and cost in order to provide optimal sensor configurations in complex structures. As a key contribution, the proposed methodology allows us to include the actuators with the sensors in the optimization problem while still maintaining the efficiency of the minimization process. In the application to ultrasonic guided-waves, the optimal configurations lead to set-ups where the sensors and actuators are coincident in number and position.

Influence and Compensation of Temperature Effects for Damage Detection and Localization in Aerospace Composites

“…The standard RAPID is composed of two terms: the elliptical geometrical distribution for each path ( ) and the damage index for each path ( ) (6). Besides, an additional weighting term ( ) is added in RAPID-G modification, which takes into consideration the distance of the analysis point , to every considered k intersection point between paths.…”

“…Besides, an additional weighting term (G k ) is added in RAPID-G modification, which takes into consideration the distance of the analysis point x p , y p to every considered k intersection point between paths. Finally, the equation states as follows (6):…”

“…Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) emerges as the structural inspection alternative to online and in-service monitoring of the functional state of the structure [ 4 , 5 ]. Recent advances in signal processing techniques [ 6 ] and technology [ 7 ] give this field a promising future. One of the most important applications of SHM is, in addition to monitoring civil structures [ 8 , 9 ], rotating machinery [ 10 , 11 ] and the terrestrial transportation industry [ 12 , 13 ], the aeronautical industry [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Optimization of Piezoelectric Sensor-Actuator for Plate Vibration Control Using Evolutionary Computation: Modeling, Simulation and Experimentation

“…Prion et al [10] developed a criterion concerning the optimal placement of a collocated sensoractuator pair of AVC structures based on the maximization of the pole-zero distance in open-loop, which correlates with the maximum achievable damping ratio in closed-loop. Contero-Chinchilla et al [11] optimized the sensor/actuator placement for structural health monitoring using an objective function that combines parameters uncertainty, expected information entropy and the cost of both sensors and actuators.…”

Binary-Like Topology Optimization of Piezoelectric Metamaterial Plate with Interface Circuits Using Extended Plane Wave Expansion Method

“…The goal of structural health monitoring (SHM) is to improve the safety, reliability, and/or ownership costs of engineering systems by autonomously monitoring their conditions and predicting incipient damages [1,2]. Most SHM systems are wired in a wide area or in a harsh environment, resulting in both economical and practical limitations.…”