PSI - Issue 64

Manuel Boccolini et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 2206–2213 Manuel Boccolini/ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2024) 000 – 000

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3. Applications 3.1. Seismic event

A case study is presented involving a monitored building that experienced a seismic event. On March 9, 2023, the Manini Connect system detected accelerations caused by a 4.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Umbria region, with the epicenter in Umbertide (PG) at a depth of 10 km below the surface (further information available at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000jiim/executive), as shown in Fig. 6. Once the alert was received in real-time, the team of technicians analyzed the data recorded by the sensors and the curves calculated by the algorithm, immediately obtaining the maximum acceleration recorded by the accelerometers installed at base and top of the smart column and the maximum displacement experienced by the smart column at its top. This allowed for the preparation of a technical report containing the accelerogram and related analyses, which was sent to the client within a few hours from occurrence of the event. In this specific case, the results showed levels of accelerations and displacements above the alarm activation threshold which, as shown in Fig. 6 with reference to the base accelerometer, were indeed clearly above the noise range. The data resulted not exceeding the Damage Limit State adopted in the design procedure. This allowed the manager of the building to safely conduct normal activities after a quick visual survey, without having to carry out inspections or specific surveys which, anyhow, are always subject to the inspector subjectivity. The service provided by Manini Connect serves as a support tool, allowing those conducting inspections to compare the data recorded by the sensors (accelerometers and inclinometers) and processed by the software with visual analysis of the structure, which may not always be sufficient in these situations. This enables the scheduling of inspections, maintenance, or necessary interventions for the retrofit of the structure, thereby preventing further damage and safeguarding the lives of living/working occupants.

Fig. 6. Accelerograms recorded at the base of the smart column as displayed in the software in 10*m/s 2 : vertical in red, horizontal along SN in green, and horizontal along EW in blue

3.2. Wind velocity The wind velocity is monitored by the anemometer. The record of a full year is shown in Fig. 7, demonstrating that the site experienced strong wings for few days along the considered random year, however with peak velocities of about 20 m/s, below the characteristic value employed for SLS design. 3.3. Rainfall The measurements of the pluviometer allow to detect events with rainfall flow larger than design one with which the drainage system was proportioned. In the example shown in Fig. 8, this flow was attained in two events in one year.