Data analytics for concrete structural health monitoring in nuclear power plants

Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on existing code margins of safety. Structural health monitoring of concrete structures aims to understand the current health condition of a structure based on heterogeneous measurements to produce high-confidence actionable information regarding structural integrity that supports operational and maintenance decisions. This ongoing research project is seeking to develop a probabilistic framework for health diagnosis and prognosis of aging concrete structures in a nuclear power plant that is subjected to physical, chemical, and mechanical degradation. In this paper, the experimental set-up at Vanderbilt University’s Laboratory for Systems Integrity and Reliability was used to research effective combinations of full-field imaging techniques, which include infrared thermography, digital image correlation, and ultrasonic measurement. The full-field imaging data collected were processed using contour mapping techniques to identify holes in a concrete slab. The techniques discussed and presented in this paper allow diagnosis of damage. The framework will enable plant operators to make risk-informed decisions on the structural integrity, remaining useful life, and performance of concrete structures.