Advanced Sensing Technologies for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Testing

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced sensing technologies have revolutionized structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive testing (NDT), enabling real-time, continuous, and automated assessments of infrastructure and engineered systems. These innovations play a pivotal role in enhancing safety, prolonging service life, and optimizing maintenance costs across civil engineering, aerospace, energy, and other critical sectors.

Advantages of Advanced Sensing in SHM/NDT

• Continuous Monitoring: This enables real-time tracking of structural integrity, allowing for early detection of damage.
• Remote and Automated Operation: This reduces the need for manual inspections and improves safety.
• High Sensitivity: Advanced sensors can detect micro-scale changes, such as early-stage cracks or subtle deformations.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Integration with intelligent algorithms and data analytics supports predictive maintenance and risk assessment.

Challenges

• Data Management: Large volumes of sensor data require robust storage, processing, and analysis solutions.
• Deployment Complexity: Sensor installation and calibration can be complex, especially for large or inaccessible structures.
• Environmental Effects: Sensors must be robust against temperature, humidity, electromagnetic interference, and other environmental factors.
• Integration and Standardization: Combining data from multiple sensor types and ensuring interoperability remains a technical challenge.

Recent Trends

• Smart Materials and Sensors: Development of self-sensing materials and multifunctional sensors that can both monitor and respond to changes.
• Wireless and Energy-Harvesting Sensors: Reducing the need for wiring and external power sources.
• Machine Learning and AI: Advanced algorithms for anomaly detection, pattern recognition, and predictive analytics in SHM/NDT data streams.
• Distributed Sensing: Use of sensor networks for spatially resolved monitoring and localization of damage.

Advanced sensing technologies are at the core of modern structural health monitoring and nondestructive testing. By enabling the early detection of damage, supporting predictive maintenance, and improving the safety and reliability of critical infrastructure, these technologies represent a fundamental shift towards smarter, more resilient engineering systems.

Submissions may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Distributed strain sensing;
• Building health;
• Concrete crack mapping;
• Aircraft wing inspection;
• Pressure vessel safety;
• Micro-vibration monitoring;
• Bridge cable monitoring.

Dr. Magda Ruiz
Guest Editor

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