System for intelligent crack detection and prediction of crack propagation in concrete structures using multi-sensor data fusion

Abstract

A system for intelligent crack detection and crack propagation prediction in concrete structures using multi-sensor data fusion, consisting of: a plurality of sensor units arranged in operational connection with a concrete structure, wherein the plurality of sensor units includes at least one acoustic sensor unit for detecting elastic wave emissions within the concrete structure, at least one strain sensor unit for generating deformation-related signals, at least one vibration sensor unit for generating dynamic response signals, and at least one thermal sensor unit for generating temperature change signals;a signal conditioning unit electrically connected to each of the numerous sensor units, the signal conditioning unit comprising an amplification circuit, a filter circuit, and a noise reduction circuit configured to condition the raw analog signals received from the numerous sensor units; a data acquisition unit coupled to the signal conditioning unit, the data acquisition unit comprising an analog-to-digital converter circuit configured to convert the conditioned analog signals into digital data streams at predefined sampling intervals;a processing unit operationally connected to the data acquisition unit and a storage unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to perform time synchronization of the digital data streams, extract features from multiple domains, including amplitude characteristics, frequency distribution characteristics, energy variation characteristics, and spatial gradient characteristics, and generate a fused structural state representation by correlating the extracted features from the multitude of sensor units; a localization unit operationally connected to the processing unit and configured to determine the spatial coordinates of crack initiation within the concrete structure based on the transit-time differences of signals received from a multitude of sensor units;a prediction unit that is operationally integrated into the processing unit and configured to determine the crack propagation direction, propagation speed, and potential failure zones by analyzing temporal variations in the representation of the molten structural state; and an output interface unit configured to transmit processed structural state data and warning signals indicating crack formation and propagation to an external monitoring device.

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