Filippo Ubertini

University of Perugia | UNIPG · Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

This article presents the development and the results of 1 year of implementation of a simple vibration-based structural health monitoring system for preventive conservation and condition-based maintenance of an Italian monumental masonry bell-tower. The system is based on the data recorded by a small number of high-sensitivity accelerometers, on r...

A new type of sensor for structural health monitoring (SHM) has emerged since the birth and development of nanotechnology and is based on cementitious materials additioned with carbon nanoparticles that can provide measurable electrical responses to applied strain. The response of similar transducers was mainly investigated under slowly varying str...

Continuously identified natural frequencies of vibration can provide unique information for low-cost automated condition assessment of civil constructions and infrastructures. However, the effects of changes in environmental parameters, such as temperature and humidity, need to be effectively investigated and accurately removed from identified freq...

Electrically conductive cement-based composites doped with carbon nanotubes possess the functional properties of being strain- and damage-sensitive, thus providing a cost-effective solution for monitoring of concrete structures. The weak point of the technology is the dispersion of the nanotubes, typically based on special procedures, such as sonic...

This paper presents a continuum model for the nonlinear coupled vertical and torsional vibrations of suspension bridges with arbitrary damage in one main cable and, after pursuing a suitable linearization of the equations of motion, an investigation of damage effects on modal parameters. Damage is modeled as a diffused loss of cross-section represe...

This paper investigates using smart bricks, a new class of sensors for SHM of masonry structures, to monitor strain and detect damage in a full-scale masonry building subjected to differential foundation settlement under real environmental conditions. Daily fluctuations in air temperature and humidity induce apparent changes in smart bricks’ strain...

The rising number of bridge collapses worldwide has compelled governments to introduce predictive maintenance strategies to extend structural lifespan. In this context, vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques utilizing Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) are favored for their non-destructive and global assessment capabilities. Ho...

Model-driven structural system identification techniques are effective for comprehensive damage assessment but relying on a single model for structural identification (St-Id) can lead to unreliable results due to the ill-posed nature of the inverse calibration problem. To address this issue, this work explores the potential of multi-class digita...

Water-stable proteins may offer a new field of applications in smart materials for buildings and infrastructures where hydraulic reactions are involved. In this study, cement mortars modified through water-soluble silk fibroin (SF) are proposed. Water-soluble SF obtained by redissolving SF films in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) showed the formati...

The rising number of bridge collapses worldwide has compelled governments to introduce predictive maintenance strategies to extend structural lifespan. In this context, vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques utilizing Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) are favored for their non-destructive and global assessment capabilities. Ho...

Roadway bridges can be subjected to several pathologies affecting their structural performance during operational conditions. Among others, slow deformation phenomena due to landslides often represent the primary cause of the onset of damage and collapse mechanisms. The timely identification of slow deformation phenomena on bridges and viaducts, as...

Masonry arch bridges constitute a fundamental part of the European transport network. Given their historical relevance and ongoing functional role, often under significantly higher load conditions than originally designed for, a reliable assessment of their load-bearing capacity is essential to understand whether they can guarantee adequate structu...

Civil constructions significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and entail extensive energy and resource consumption, leading to a substantial ecological footprint. Research into eco-friendly engineering solutions is therefore currently imperative, particularly to mitigate the impact of concrete technology. Among potential alternatives, sh...

Post-earthquake safety assessment of buildings and infrastructure poses significant challenges, often relying on time-consuming visual inspections. To expedite this process, safety criteria based on a demand-capacity model are utilized. However, rapid assessment frameworks require accurate estimations of intensity measures (IMs) to estimate seismic...

The continuous safe and dependability functioning of Prestressed Concrete bridges is of utmost importance, and regular maintenance and identification of any types of damage are crucial for ensuring structural integrity. However, traditional methods of periodic visual inspections and manual assessment have limitations in terms of accuracy, efficienc...

The effective management of aging infrastructure represents a critical concern globally, exerting profound socio-economic influences and occupying a prominent position on the political agenda. The escalating occurrences of catastrophic collapses in recent years underscore the pressing requirement for efficient Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) str...

Strain monitoring in masonry buildings can provide useful information regarding the onset of structural damage during operating conditions. This is because when cracks develop on masonry components, i.e., clay bricks and mortar layers, induce discontinuities and redistributions in their original stress/strain configurations. Although the applicatio...

The management of aging built infrastructure represents one of the most pressing challenges facing most developed countries. The circumstance that a sizable portion of the world’s infrastructure, mostly made of reinforced concrete, is approaching its design life-expectancy of 50–100 years, poses a serious risk of cascade failures with severe socioe...

Managing aging infrastructure has become a top priority on the political agenda due to alarming incidents like the Genoa Bridge collapse in 2018, underscoring the critical need for efficient structural maintenance strategies. To address this challenge, vibration-based structural health monitoring (SHM) approaches and, in particular, operational mod...

The effective management of aging infrastructure represents a critical concern globally, exerting profound socioeconomic influences and occupying a prominent position on the political agenda. The escalating occurrences of catastrophic collapses in recent years underscore the pressing requirement for efficient Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) stra...

Among the compendium of highway civil infrastructures built in the last decades, many repetitive or quasi-periodic configurations can be found, such as multi-span simply supported bridges. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategies for this kind of structures should properly consider such structural periodicity. Literature studies already demons...

This work aims to explore the potential of the Applied Element Method (AEM) for structural analysis application in the framework of bridge monitoring, focusing in particular on the aspects of model calibration and simulation of the collapse behaviour. An AEM model of a curved roadway bridge undergoing slow landslide-induced movements was built and...

In the field of civil infrastructure, Structural Health Monitoring generally suffers from a scarcity of labelled damage-state data. To solve this issue, this work adopts a Transfer Learning approach for leveraging information from a source structure, characterised by a rich class of damage labels, to improve inferences on a target structure with li...

The damage identification of railway bridges poses a formidable challenge given the large variability in the environmental/operational conditions that such structures are subjected to along their lifespan. Within a research project devoted to the continuous monitoring of a real in-operation bridge, the Mascarat Viaduct in Alicante (Spain), this pap...

Existing masonry constructions often develop a complex mechanical response due to considerable material heterogeneity of the ancient masonry and presence of structural pathologies. The occurrence of severe loading conditions, such as those caused by differential soil settlements and seismic events, can also induce brittle collapse mechanisms in anc...

Time-dependent phenomena, such as creep of concrete, induce stress/strain redistributions in post-tensioned concrete bridges that must be taken into account during their design. The underestimation of time-dependent effects can negatively influence the load-deformation behavior of this bridge typology, leading to unexpected deformations of the deck...

Cementitious materials possessing self-sensing properties conferred through the incorporation of conductive fillers have attracted significant interest in the research community due to their potential application to structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure. A key advantage of cementitious sensors is that they can be organically embedded...

The study focuses on multi-span prestressed bridges, where time-dependent effects like creep, shrinkage and prestress losses can have a significant impact on long-term behaviour. Specifically, the paper analyses a bridge constructed with the balanced-cantilever method and presenting the peculiarity of vertically prestressed internal joints, which s...

Post-earthquake safety assessment of buildings and infrastructure poses significant challenges, often relying on time-consuming visual inspections. To expedite this process, safety criteria based on a demand-capacity model are utilized. However, rapid assessment frameworks require accurate estimations of intensity measures (IMs) to estimate seismic...

This paper investigates the mechanical properties and the durability implications of innovative cement-based mortars doped with carbon microfibers. In particular, mixes with different amounts of carbon additions are produced, and the properties of fresh and hardened samples are analyzed through workability, water absorption, and compressive and fle...

Data-driven machine-learning algorithms generally suffer from a lack of labelled health-state data, mainly those referring to damage conditions. To address such an issue, population-based structural health monitoring seeks to enrich the original dataset by transferring knowledge from a population of monitored structures. Within this context, this p...

https://iopscience.iop.org/collections/0957-0233_Empowering-smart-measurement-of-digital-infrastructures-with-self-sensing-concrete https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/35iFtIsm-cE2Z7RJ9qGGhg

The management of the aging built infrastructure stands as a paramount concern on the political agendas worldwide, bearing far-reaching socio-economic impacts. The growing trend of tragic collapses in recent years underscore the urgent need for efficient structural health maintenance (SHM) strategies to support decision-making in prioritizing inter...

Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) is a powerful approach to be used in structural performance assessment of historical masonry buildings during their service life. OMA is effective for detecting global damage to masonry buildings, although in some conditions it may exhibit poor sensitivity in detecting local/slight structural damage. Additionally, e...

The growing awareness of the challenges posed by ageing civil infrastructure is driving the implementation of dense Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. The Italian context exemplifies this trend, particularly following the tragic collapse of the Morandi Bridge in 2018 and the release of the National Guidelines on the Assessment and Manageme...

The recent issuance of Guidelines for the classification and management of risk, safety assessment, and monitoring of existing bridges has standardized the methodology for analyzing the safety and managing bridges at a national level. The Guidelines propose a multi-level analysis approach, where the assessment of structures is conducted with increa...

This study delves into the potential of self-monitoring masonry components constructed with specialized mortars containing conductive carbon-based fillers. The primary objective is to assess their ability to autonomously evaluate their structural integrity. These innovative masonry elements are designed to produce an integrated monitoring system wi...

The growing awareness on the importance of the preservation of Cultural heritage (CH) buildings has driven the more frequent implementation of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. Such systems rely on the implementation of long-term monitoring systems, in such a way that inspection and rehabilitation actions can be scheduled according to the...

This work presents the results of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) campaign conducted from January until March 2022 in a 13th centuy rammed earth tower, the Muhammad Tower, in the Alhambra fortress (Granada, Spain). The investigation was framed within a research project aimed at assessing the structural damage experienced by the tower after a s...

The damage identification of railway bridges poses a formidable challenge given the large variability in the environmental and operational conditions that such structures are subjected to along their lifespan. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a novel damage identification approach exploiting continuously extracted time series of autor...

The use of nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, in cement-based composites has been a topic of considerable attention in recent years due to their potential to monitor civil structures and infrastructures. One of the main challenges is the adequate and efficient dispersion of the carbon nanotubes due to their nanoparticle size and the high adhe...

Vehicular traffic represents the most influential loads on the structural integrity of railway bridges, therefore the design on dynamic criteria. This work explores the use of strain dynamic measurements to characterize the health condition of railway bridges under moving train loads. Specifically, the approach proposed in this work exploits the im...

The assessment of risk conditions of bridges and viaducts allows management authorities to ensure the safety of the users and the proper allocation of economic resources for maintenance and retrofitting interventions. A common circumstance in practice regards the lack of information as well as the need to update it, causing delays in the risk evalu...

This paper presents the structure of new collaborative research project entitled SAFOTEB “A reviewed SAfety FOrmat for structural reliability assessment of post‐TEnsioned concrete Bridges”. The research aims at assessing the reliability of the current safety format and developing specific suggestions for existing concrete bridges with post‐tensione...

Structural Health Monitoring of civil infrastructures often suffers from the limited availability of damage labelled data. The work here seeks to overcome this issue by using Transfer Learning approaches, in the form of Domain Adaptation, for leveraging information from a source structure with determined health‐state labels to make inferences on an...

Bridges' integrity, safety and serviceability are fundamental targets that need to be ensured during the structural lifetime, owing to the crucial role that such infrastructure components play in modern communities. Recently, a particular attention is being paid to the management of bridges since many of them have reached the end of their expected...

The behavior of post‐tensioned concrete bridges is often influenced by time‐dependent phenomena, such as relaxation of prestressing steel, creep and shrinkage of concrete. For bridges built using the balanced cantilever method, the evolution of time‐dependent phenomena during the construction phase must be carefully considered. In common practice,...

This paper presents the application of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategy for bridges affected by slow deformation phenomena to a curved roadway bridge undergoing slow landslide‐induced movements. The chosen multidisciplinary approach is based on the combination of remote sensing data through satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferom...

Smart carbon-based cementitious composites possess multifunctional properties, adding novel capabilities to mechanical ones. Of great interest in civil engineering are self-sensing materials, which permit to carry out a continuous, diffuse and simple monitoring on structures and infrastructures. In the field of infrastructures, weigh-in motion, tra...

The construction sector has a great impact on the environment. The growing attention to more sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials is stimulating the development of novel eco-friendly composites. This work presents the first investigations on novel concretes realized with earth and carbon fillers. In particular, electrical...

The development of multifunctional cementitious materials is having a great application impact in civil and industrial engineering. The authors have recently developed carbon-added cement-based composites able to integrate both structural and monitoring capabilities. Graphite powder dispersed into the cement matrix in different percentages is under...