Construction Monitoring and Observation

Code:

M.EC030

Acronym:

IOO

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Materials

Instance: 2024/2025 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Civil and Georesources Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Civil Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M.EC	5	Syllabus	2	-	6	45,5

Teaching language

Portuguese and english
Obs.: As aulas serão lecionadas em Língua Inglesa caso haja pelo menos um estudante que não fale Português.

Objectives

JUSTIFICATION:
Monitoring and observation are techniques of growing importance in modern engineering practice, for evaluation of the behaviour of the built infrastructure and assessment of the structural condition and safety.
Important technological developments have taken place in recent years. Moreover, continuous monitoring techniques have gained increased relevance, in the context of (i) the definition and implementation of maintenance plans for existing constructions; (ii) to assist construction and control teams during the construction phase of new structures; (iii) in the definition of strategies for repair and upgrade of existing constructions, among other applications.

OBJECTIVES:
- To provide basic knowledge regarding the use of testing equipments for the observation of the behaviour of materials and structures along different phases of their life time (construction, reception, service, rehabilitation or strengthening), submitted to static or dynamic loads;
- to present non-destructive techniques used in structural diagnosis and evaluation of structural safety;
- To illustrate the importance and usefulness of Testing and Structural Monitoring by presenting a large variety of case studies, involving inspection, performance of static and dynamic tests and long-term monitoring.

Learning outcomes and competences

Knowledge: To describe the main measurement systems and acquisition equipments, and to define their specifications and field of application. To identify different non-destructive test methods for characterization of new materials and for diagnosis of structural damage.

Understanding: To explain and evaluate the various components of structural monitoring projects. To select the monitoring instruments and to identify their performance in terms of functionality, efficiency and economy.

Application: To apply different monitoring systems in the characterization of new materials and in the observation of structural safety, by identifying and comparing their adequacy with respect to the intended goals.

Analysis: To perform a critical analysis of inspection plans. To compare the results of different assessment methodologies.

Evaluation: To make a critical analysis of the employed methodologies and to foresee diagnosis and assessment methodologies.

Engineering design: To work with real case studies (monitoring projects) and to perform a critical evaluation of the underlying information.

Engineering research: To have contact with the application of techniques for monitoring of the structural behaviour in Civil Engineering research projects.

Engineering practice: To have contact with and to participate in real monitoring/diagnosis case studies.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Introduction.
Presentation of the course unit and its organization.
Techniques and methodologies employed in experimental analysis and their application in Civil Engineering.
Relevance of structural observation in the various construction phases (design, construction, service, repair and strengthening).

2. Metrology.
Measurement instruments: measurement chain; transducers and sensors.
Measurement quality: uncertainty and error; random and systematic errors; measurement updating.
General transducer characteristics.
Transducer calibration.

3. Measurement of displacements, strain, forces and temperatures.
Types of displacement transducers. Working principles. Properties and specifications.
Types of strain sensors. Working principles. Properties and specifications.
Types of force transducers. Working principles. Properties and specifications.
Types of temperature sensors. Working principles. Properties and specifications.

4. Non-destructive inspection and diagnosis techniques for concrete structures
Degradation mechanisms in reinforced concrete structures.
Non-destructive testing techniques to assess the state of conservation of reinforced concrete structures.

5. Monitoring of the long-term behaviour o concrete structures
Monitoring systems for evaluation of the structural response during construction and service phases.
Load tests in bridges and buildings.
Monitoring of the durability of reinforced concrete structures.

6. Dynamic testing techniques.
Characterization of systems for excitation and monitoring of vibrations in Civil Engineering structures. Common applications for characterization of vibrating environments, from the structural integrity and from the human comfort points of view.
Basic concepts of signal processing and analysis. "Leakage" and "aliasing" errors. Derivation of simple spectral estimates and averages. Estimation of transfer functions.
Introduction to input-output modal identification. Ambient vibration tests. Application examples, regarding the calibration and experimental validation of numerical models.

7. Instrumentation and monitoring of geotechnical engineering projects.
Some particularities of the instrumentation and monitoring of geotechnical structures and infrastructures. Geotechnical instrumentation. Field measurements for soils and rocks. Apparatus and measurement methods. Monitoring of geotechnical engineering projects. Case studies.


Scientific content - 40%
Technological content - 60%


DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYLLABUS COHERENCE WITH THE CURRICULAR UNIT'S OBJECTIVES: 
Construction Observation is an increasingly recognised way for evaluation of the performance and safety of Civil Engineering structures. The awareness of economic and social effects due to aging, deterioration and damage of structures, associated with recent technological developments in the area of instrumentation leads to a growing development and implementation of monitoring systems for frequent or continuous observation to increase the lifetime of structures or implementation of repair strategies. The program also aims at the awareness ofsome instrumentation and monitoring techniques of geotechnical engineering projects.

Mandatory literature

James W. Dally, William F. Riley, Kenneth G. McConnell; Instrumentation for engineering measurements. ISBN: 0-471-55192-9
Luca Bertolini... [et al.]; Corrosion of steel in concrete. ISBN: 3-527-30800-8

Comments from the literature

In addition to the books indicated as Required Bibliography, support elements in digital support will be made available to students on the UC Moodle page.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes for presentation and discussion of course unit subjects. Slide display (slides available for download in the course unit web page). Discussion of doubts and questions raised by the students. Theoretical-practical classes for solution of practical exercises (individually or in small groups). Solution of worksheets for application of theoretical concepts. Laboratorial demonstration classes for exemplification and application of techniques and measurement procedures. Discussion and appraisal of the results.


DEMONSTRATION OF COHERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Application of various test and instrumentation systems for characterization of new materials and observation of structural integrity, identifying and comparing their suitability in relation to the intended goals. Critical analysis of inspection projects. Comparison of results obtained through different monitoring techniques. Proposal of new approaches for evaluating the structural integrity and lifetime increase. Critical analysis of the employed methodologies and anticipation of strategies for assessment and diagnosis. Contact with real monitoring case studies and evaluation of associated critical information. Explore new tools for structural evaluation. 

keywords

Technological sciences > Engineering > Civil engineering > Structural engineering
Technological sciences > Technology > Instrumentation technology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	75,00
Teste	25,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	116,50
Frequência das aulas	45,50
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Achieving final classification requires compliance with attendance at the course unit, according to the course rules. It is considered that students meet the attendance requirements if, having been regularly enrolled, the number of absences of 25% for each of the classes’ types is not exceeded.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final classification is quantified considering two components: distributed evaluation (two short-duration tests) and final exam. The first distributed assessment test focuses on the content of chapters 2 to 5 of the program. The second test focuses on the contents of chapter 6. The distributed evaluation is optional. The classification of any component is expressed in a scale of 0 to 20.

The final classification, CF, is quantified by employing the following formula:

CF = max {CT ; EF}

where,

CT = 25% x ( CAD1 + CAD2) / 2 + 75% x EF

CAD1 – classification of the short-duration test number 1, to be done during a previously scheduled class;
CAD2 – classification of the short-duration test number 2, to be done during a previously scheduled class;
EF – classification of the final exam.


NOTE 1: All the students enrolled in the course unit are evaluated according to this method.

NOTE 2: The distributed evaluation obtained in previous occurrences of this course unit (by students which were enrolled in this course unit in the previous occurrence) is not valid in the current occurrence.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The final classification for students which require special exams (according to the rules included in the FEUP code) is established based on a single exam.

Classification improvement

Classification improvement, for students which are properly registered for classification improvement in the FEUP desk, is based on a single exam. The final classification is equal to the greatest of the classification obtained in such exam and the previously reached positive classification.