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This paper presents results of in situ investigation of a railway truss bridge in the context of structural health monitoring (SHM). Three experimental methods are examined. Dynamic responses of the bridge recorded by strain gauges are confronted with alternative ways of acquisition using piezoelectric patch sensors and ultrasonic probeheads. All types of sensors produce similar output. Also the corresponding responses of the numerical model of the bridge match experimental data.

Thick-walled, main stream pipelines are key elements in many power and chemical plants. Operating for a long time in high temperature and subjected to internal pressure such pipes are subjected to creep resulting in material degradation and strain. The most common method of pipe state evaluation is pipe diameter monitoring. Usually such measurements are performed with micrometer gauge in locations where special “pips” were earlier installed. Other methods are also tested to monitor creep progress like various temperature-resistance strain gauges or eddy current sensors. The paper examines a new ultrasonic technique to evaluate thick-walled pipe diameter changes. Pipe diameter evaluation is based on time of flight of bulk ultrasonic waves propagating in circumferential direction along the polygon, reflecting on the pipe external surface only. Presented are results of experiments performed on 100 mm diameter pipe subjected to internal pressure to generate small diameter changes and on 273 mm diameter and 40 mm wall thickness pipe section. Measurements were performed with longitudinal, shear SV and shear SH waves. Described are advantages and disadvantages of various ultrasonic wave types for pipe diameter evaluation in practice. Discussed is the influence of residual stresses and temperature on accuracy of pipe diameter evaluation with proposed technique. Shear SV wave was chosen as the most easily applicable ultrasonic wave on thick-walled tubes.

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The aim of this paper is to present the new method for relative changes measurements of intima-media thickness in the common carotid artery wall. The numerical solver was created for calculation of the fields of ultrasonic beams and scattered fields under different boundary conditions and different angles of penetration of ultrasonic beams with respect to the position of the arterial wall. The cylindrical model of the artery was changing the radius and thickness of the wall under cyclic variation of blood pressure. The presented method was verified on a pipe made of latex. The paper describes also the initial results of examinations of the intima-media thickness. The good agreement for the angle dependence and the perpendicular ultrasonic beam displacement from the longitudinal axis of the artery segment between the numerical calculation and experimental results was obtained for different artery diameters.