Recent Advances in Structural Health Monitoring

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 2025

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Interests: structural health monitoring; structural dynamics; full-scale vibration test; machine learning and its application in civil engineering; operational modal analysis
School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Interests: structural health monitoring; smart materials and structures; piezoelectric sensors; fiber-optic sensors
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Guest Editor
National Key Laboratory of Green and Long-Life Road Engineering in Extreme Environment, College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: structural health monitoring; structural dynamics; full-scale vibration test; machine learning and its application in civil engineering; operational modal analysis

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Guest Editor
School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Interests: structural health monitoring; structural dynamics; digital twin

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Interests: structural health monitoring; computer vision; wireless sensor network; development of SHM system; smart home

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is critical for ensuring the safety, resilience, and sustainability of civil infrastructure. Climate change and the global drive towards zero-carbon solutions further highlight the need for efficient monitoring strategies that optimize maintenance, extend service life, and reduce environmental impact. As structures become more complex and exposed to evolving risks, advancements in sensing technologies and data analytics are transforming SHM into a more intelligent and autonomous discipline. Recent developments in fiber-optic sensors, wireless networks, UAV-based inspections, and computer vision techniques have significantly improved real-time structural assessment. Meanwhile, machine learning is enabling automated damage and anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision making. The integration of digital twins, data fusion techniques, and hybrid physics-based and data-driven approaches further enhances monitoring accuracy and operational efficiency. 

This Special Issue invites cutting-edge research on SHM advancements, including but not limited to the following: 

  • Population-based SHM;
  • Advanced sensing and instrumentation in SHM;
  • Computer vision techniques for structural assessment;
  • Machine learning applications in SHM;
  • Digital twins for structural performance monitoring;
  • Data fusion and integration of monitoring data;
  • Decision-making frameworks for predictive maintenance and risk assessment;
  • Case studies in SHM applications and lessons learnt. 

Dr. Zuo Zhu
Dr. Weijie Li
Dr. Yanlong Xie
Dr. Yichen Zhu
Dr. Miaomin Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • population-based SHM
  • advanced sensing and instrumentation in SHM
  • computer vision techniques for structural assessment
  • machine learning applications in SHM
  • digital twins for structural performance monitoring
  • data fusion and integration of monitoring data
  • decision-making frameworks for predictive maintenance and risk assessment
  • case studies in SHM applications and lessons learnt

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 5472 KB  
Article
Electromechanical and Rheological Properties of Self-Sensing Mortars Containing Red Mud for Concrete Beam Monitoring
by Henrique Ribeiro Oliveira, Gustavo Henrique Nalon, Gustavo Emilio Soares de Lima, Leonardo Gonçalves Pedroti, José Carlos Lopes Ribeiro, José Maria Franco de Carvalho, Flávio Antônio Ferreira, Ariel Miranda de Souza, Ricardo André Fiorotti Peixoto and Diôgo Silva de Oliveira
Buildings 2025, 15(22), 4085; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224085 - 13 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 673
Abstract
The growing demand for sustainable construction practices has driven research into self-sensing materials incorporating recycled waste for smart SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) systems. However, previous works did not investigate the influence of rheological behavior and piezoresistive properties of sustainable cementitious sensors containing red [...] Read more.
The growing demand for sustainable construction practices has driven research into self-sensing materials incorporating recycled waste for smart SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) systems. However, previous works did not investigate the influence of rheological behavior and piezoresistive properties of sustainable cementitious sensors containing red mud (RM) on the strain monitoring of concrete beams. To address this gap, this study presents an experimental analysis of the rheological, mechanical, and self-sensing performance of mortars incorporating carbon black nanoparticles (CBN) and varying levels of RM (25–100% sand replacement by volume), followed by their application in monitoring strain in a reinforced concrete beam under dynamic loading. The results showed that increasing RM content led to higher viscosity and yield stress, with a 60% reduction in consistency index. Compressive strength increased by up to 80%, while mortars with RM content higher than 50% showed high electrical conductivity and reversible resistivity changes under load cycles. Mortars containing 50–100% RM demonstrated improved piezoresistive response, with a 23% increase in gauge factor, and the best-performing sensor embedded in a concrete beam exhibited stable and reversible fractional changes in resistivity, closely matching strain gauge data during dynamic loading conditions. These findings highlight the potential of RM-based smart mortars to enhance sustainability and performance in SHM applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Structural Health Monitoring)
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Review

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32 pages, 2470 KB  
Review
Recent Advances and Future Prospects of Bayesian Operational Modal Analysis: Identification Algorithms, Uncertainty Computation, and Applications
by Wei Xu, Ziyu Guan and Yichen Zhu
Buildings 2026, 16(9), 1807; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16091807 - 1 May 2026
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Abstract
Bayesian operational modal analysis (OMA) provides a probabilistic framework for identifying modal parameters of structures under ambient excitation while quantifying identification uncertainty. By casting modal identification as a Bayesian inference problem, it enables systematic incorporation of modeling assumptions, measurement noise, and data limitations, [...] Read more.
Bayesian operational modal analysis (OMA) provides a probabilistic framework for identifying modal parameters of structures under ambient excitation while quantifying identification uncertainty. By casting modal identification as a Bayesian inference problem, it enables systematic incorporation of modeling assumptions, measurement noise, and data limitations, thereby addressing fundamental shortcomings of conventional OMA methods. This paper presents a comprehensive review of Bayesian OMA, covering its theoretical foundations, representative identification algorithms, uncertainty quantification and management, and practical applications. Emphasis is placed on frequency domain Bayesian formulations, fast Bayesian FFT-based identification algorithms, treatment of multi-setup and asynchronous data, closely spaced modes, and recent advances in both computational acceleration and capturing environmental variations. Developments on uncertainty laws are synthesized to elucidate the fundamental limits of achievable identification precision and their implications for uncertainty management and test design. A range of applications is reviewed to demonstrate how Bayesian OMA methods support robust modal identification and long-term structural health monitoring under operational and environmental variations. Finally, key challenges and future research directions are discussed to facilitate further methodological development and engineering adoption of Bayesian OMA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Structural Health Monitoring)
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