CD-Laboratory for Structural Strength Control
On May 1st, 2014 the Christian Doppler (CD) Laboratory for Structural Strength Control of Lightweight Constructions was established at the Institute of Structural Lightweight Design. The objective of this CD Laboratory is
- the development of a holistic and standardized procedure
- to monitor and assure (i.e. control)
- the load carrying capability (i.e. the strength) of damage tolerant lightweight structures
- during the operation, on-line and over the lifetime of the structures.
The scientific principles developed in the CD Laboratory are basically usable for all lightweight design applications and lightweight materials. However, the focus given by the current interests of the commercial partners lies on automotive and aircraft structures made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymers respectively additively manufactured materials.
For detailed information we refer to the web-site of this CD Laboratory.
Structural Health Monitoring
Current research of structural health monitoring (SHM) is usually limited to the damage diagnosis, which consits only of detection (Is the structure damaged?), localisation (Where is it damaged?), quantification (How large is the damage?) and qualification (What kind of damage?) of a damage. It is not assessed whether such damage is significant or irrelevant for the structure. Besides identification our aim is also to assess, prognose and repair damages based on a closed and comprehensive concept applied on lightweight structures. Thereby we introduce the following additonal modules to find a complete Structural Health Control concept
- Structural analysis to determine the possible failure modes, optimal sensor placement, suitable sensors
- SHM for damage diagnosis
- Loads and Usage Monitoring to record the acting loads on the structure and record the operating parameters
- Damage Assessement for the evaluation of the damage
- Damage prognosis for the further behavior of the damage
- Condition Based Maintenance for optimal repair solution at the right time
Structural Strength Control
For this holistic approach the term Structural Strength Control (SSC) was introduced. The theoretical development of such a general procedure requires interdisciplinary research on
- appropriate models and methods for structural analysis,
- the placement of sensors and the processing of sensor signals, and
- repair measures, which are optimized with respect to the remaining lifetime of the structure.