USES²

»USES²« – USES of Novel Ultrasonic and Seismic Embedded Sensors for the Nondestructive Evaluation and Structural Health Monitoring of Infrastructure and Human-built Objects.

Detecting degradation that endangers the safety and impairs availability of infrastructure and components is currently the task of schedule driven Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), this process is however costly and disruptive. The attractive alternative is to use condition based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Current, SHM typically uses sensors that provide local information only, which may be insufficient for detecting interior degradation or require very dense networks. Furthermore, the performance of both in-situ sensing systems and algorithms to process and interpret the sensor data is reduced when subject to Environmental and Operational Conditions (EOC). This limits their large-scale deployment.

The "USES2" project will develop and combine novel emerging sensing technologies (optical fibre and wireless pieozoelectric sensors), advanced processing (compressed sensing, artificial intelligence) and full-mechanical-waveformbased imaging to tackle these issues. Key to this cross-disciplinary work is a new generation of researchers with skills across sensing and signal processing. They will be trained with a unique combination of “hands-on” multidisciplinary research demonstrators, industrial placements, and courses /workshops on scientific and transferable skills. All of which is facilitated by the broad intersectoral composition of the consortium.

»USES²« will produce world class researchers expert in innovative sensing solutions, advanced mechanical wave processing and robust EOC compensation methods. Their skills will be embodied in a series of laboratory demonstrators and in situ industrially relevant experiments spanning three key sectors of European industry: Energy (nuclear and wind power plants), hydrogen storage, pipeline networks for fuel exploration and transport, mobility for citizens (aircraft, automotive industry) and construction (urban subsurface soil, infrastructures).
 

Project partners

Beneficaries:

• Université Gustave Eiffel (FR)
• Universidad Politécnica De Madrid (ES)
• Commissariat A L Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (FR)
• Fraunhofer IZFP (DE)
• University Of Bristol (UK)
• Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und Prüfung (DE)
• Isamgeo Italia S.R.L. (IT)
• Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
• Airbus Defence And Space Sa (ES)
• Zensor (BE)

Associated partners:

• Eni Spa (IT)
• Vallen Systeme GmbH (DE)
• TEMAI Ingenieros S.L. (ES)
• Électricité De France EDF (FR)
• IMMS Institut für Mikroelektronik- Und Mechatronik-Systeme Gmbh (DE)
• Faber Industrie Spa (IT)
• Inductosense Ltd. (UK)
• École Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Métiers (FR)
• Technische Universität Ilmenau (DE)
• Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (DE)
• Università Degli Studi di Padova (IT)
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)