Structural Monitoring and Control (SMC) are integrated with many techniques and theories, such as smart sensors, wireless-based acquisition and real-time processing technology, telecommunication and data management, structural damage identification, structure health diagnosis, reliability prediction as well as performance control, etc. The advance of SMC technology depends on the development and integration of the engineering theories and high technologies, presenting the latest structural experimental technologies.
For the key engineering structures, SMC technology is becoming more and more essential to the design and proof test, installation control, and full-life safe running and maintenance management.
The SMC center, supervised byProfessor Jinping OU, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), was established in 2001 with supports from “985” and “211” National Projects. The predecessor of the center is the Engineering Mechanics group, and Disaster Prevention and Reduction Engineering group, which were created by Professor Guangyuan WANG, who is also a member of CAE.
At present, two CAE members, two distinguished young scholar for national natural science funds, one chair professor of “Cheung Kong Scholars Program”, several holders of Trans-Century Training Program Foundation for the Talents by the Ministry of Education, are working in the SMC center. In addition, one Cheung Kong Scholar Innovative group was honored by the Ministry of Education. In total, people in the center includes around 20 faculties and more than 100 postdoctoral scholars and graduate students.
The SMC center is composed of several institutes, related to structural health monitoring, structural control and modern experimental techniques, structural design methods based on full-life theory, earthquake engineering, wind engineering and ocean engineering, smart materials and intelligent structures, FRP composites and structures, etc.
The SMC center has a laboratory base for the research, development and engineering application of the structural monitoring and control technologies. The main facilities includes a wired/wireless sensor network based on the basic physical parameter ( e.g., force, heat, sound light and electricity) measurement, conversion and digitizing treatment, a large scale and multi-type data acquisition system, a telecommunication and management system, and a structural control system etc.
In the past several years, the SMC center organized and participated in many national projects, such as the Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation, National High Technology Research and Development Program, National Science & Technology Pillar Program during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan Period. Besides, the SMC center undertook the important projects in recent years such as the Key Program and Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation, key and training program of the Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation, Project of International Cooperation and Exchanges NSFC, National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar, Major State Basic Research Development Program, National High Technology Research and Development Program, National Science & Technology Pillar Program, West Construction Science & Technology Plan Program and major engineering application, etc. The center has set up a closed cooperation with the researchers from the USA, Canada, Japan, Italia, Russia, Korea and Hong Kong Region of China. Based on the effective collaboration, some joint laboratories have been establised, such as “China-Russia Structural Health Monitoring Electrooptical Technology Joint Laboratory”, “HIT-MOI OFBG Sensor and Monitoring System Joint Laboratory” and “HIT-Crown Wireless Sensing Technology Joint Laboratory”.
