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Structural Monitoring and Testing

AVT’s Structural Monitoring capabilities are mainly concerned with the on-site measurement of real data relating to the behaviour of structures or machines under in-service loadings, and the subsequent analysis and assessment of the measured data. Virtually any material/substrate can be accommodated.

AVT has configured many temporary and permanent monitoring systems on static structures over the past 20 years, both on-shore and offshore. These typically involve the measurement and analysis of dynamic strains, loads, vibrations and displacements, pressures and temperatures.

In that “..Between 80 – 90% of all structural failures occur through a fatigue mechanism…” (Battelle Study, 1982), it is good news is that the fatigue process is well understood. Fatigue damage can be accurately predicted by AVT, based upon actual in-service stress measurements.

Cost Effective Solutions
The structural monitoring services offered by AVT can provide real value to many customers who are faced with severe competition and are under pressure to reduce costs without compromising efficiency or performance.

Knowledge Benefits delivered by AVT’s monitoring and evaluating the behaviour of structural components under normal in-service loadings, are:

• Rapid understanding and assessment of complex structural responses
• Increased knowledge of actual in-service loading conditions
• Reduced uncertainty in structural response predictions through measured validation data
• Accurate Fatigue-Life estimates based on actual stress measurements and proven fatigue endurance data.

The significant cost and performance benefits of such data have real commercial value to product design and development engineers, and the company itself, including:

• Reduced product weight
• Reduced manufacturing costs
• Reduced development time
• Reduced warranty liabilities
• Increased performance

Most projects involve one or more of the following services:. For details of these specific offerings, please select from the following list:

• On-site strain gauging
• Instrumentation
• Data acquisition
• Data analysis
• Fatigue assessments
• Automated monitoring systems
• Acoustic Emission techniques

Strain Gauging
BSSM The British Society for Strain Measurement

The company has considerable experience in the field of experimental stress analysis, based upon the selection, installation and monitoring of strain gauges by trained technicians. We regularly perform fatigue analysis work based upon the analysis of measured dynamic strains on both welded and non-welded components.

Our professional on-site and in-house strain gauging service includes experience of most types of strain gauges, including

• Bonded strain gauges
• Spot-welded strain gauges
• Vibrating wire strain gauges

AVT’s professional engineers, certified by the British Society For Strain Measurements (BSSM) can install strain gauges onto most materials, including:

• Metal
• Concrete
• Carbon-Fibre
• Plastic

Instrumentation
AVT has a large stock of modern instrumentation and can configure monitoring systems using a wide variety of sensor types, including:

• Strain Gauges
• Accelerometers
• Displacement Sensors
• Load Cells
• Temperature Sensors
• Acoustic Emission (AE) Sensors
• Pressure Sensors
• Microphones
• Wind Speed and Direction Sensors
• Solar Radiation Sensors
• Ultrasonic Level Sensors

Data Acquisition
For all structural monitoring applications, AVT always start by recording and storing high quality raw data for subsequent data processing as required.

All measured data is digitally acquired using either data loggers, high speed dedicated systems (typically up to 2500 samples per second) or higher speed PC based systems (typically up to 20,000 samples per second).

Data Analysis
AVT uses powerful software for data analysis, including:

• Fatigue Analysis
• Advanced Signal Processing and Digital Filtering
• Statistical Analysis
• Frequency Domain (spectral) Analysis
• Patter Recognition

Fatigue Assessments
AVT uses specialist fatigue analysis software from nCode International Limited to produce accurate fatigue life estimates of welded structural steels to BS7608, as well as fatigue life estimates of other welded and non-welded components. Fatigue life estimates are based upon actual in-service stress measurements, not theoretical stress predictions.

Automated Systems
For many projects, it is necessary to collect data over extended periods of time ranging from days, weeks, months and even years.

AVT can configure bespoke monitoring systems to run un-attended, automatically triggering and collecting data, often with remote monitoring and data retrieval via modem.

Acoustic Emission
AVT can apply Acoustic Emission (AE) equipment and instrumentation for many process and condition monitoring applications, including bearing condition monitoring and leak detection. The technique is generally applicable to most processes that involve, abrasion, friction, impact and fluid turbulence.

Pipework Vibration Assessment
We carry out vibration assessments in line with the Energy Institue Guidelines 2008
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For further information call +44(0)161 486 3737 or email us via the contacts page