Monitoring and analyzing concrete structures behavior

• Grant number: 06/05974-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date until: June 01, 2007
• End date until: July 23, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Tulio Nogueira Bittencourt
• Grantee: Wayne Santos de Assis
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this project is the monitoring of real structures, using instrumentation based in optical and electrical sensors and equipments, and the development of a computational system for interpretation of monitoring data. In this project is foreseen the use of fiber optic sensors, mainly for the measurement of strains, temperatures and displacements, and for the accomplishment of comparisons and complementation of the analyses will be used conventional sensors. Through the computational system for support to data interpretation it intends to supply tools to aid in the understanding and attendance of the behavior of structural systems, providing the identification of the involved variables when of the verification of structural problems.This research proposal will be developed in the Structural Concrete Modelling Group – GMEC (http://www.lmc.ep.usp.br/people/tbitten/gmec/home_ing.htm), coordinated by Professor Túlio Nogueira Bittencourt, that is also supervisor of this project. To the accomplishment of the activities presented, GMEC counts with the cooperation agreement among Metropolitan of Sao Paulo Co. (METRÔ) and the Polytechnic School of the University of Sao Paulo (EPUSP), besides the support of manufacturers and suppliers of products to monitoring based in fiber optic technology, as FiberSensing and Gávea Sensors.In the last years the candidate accomplished several works involving the monitoring of concrete structures, staying fifteen months in Portugal with Professor Joaquim Figueiras Group, of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), which uses sensor of optical fibers in the structural monitoring with plenty success. Some of the activities in which the candidate was involved are presented in the recent attached papers.The acquired experience for the applicant during his doctoral studies justifies his permanence in GMEC as post-doctoral researcher, once his knowledge is very important for the development of the works in the project thematic FAPESP nº. 04/03049-1 and in the project of aid for research FAPESP nº. 05/52210-2, projects directly linked to this proposal.