Task Forces 2002-2006

Task force 6.1.1 - Measurements and Analysis of Cyclic Deformations and Structural Vibrations

Chair – Dr. Gethin Roberts, United Kingdom
Email: Gethin.Roberts@nottingham.ac.uk

This task force was also established at the FIG Congress in Washington in April 2002, and is chaired by Dr Gethin Roberts. Various members of the FIG showed interest in this task force topic, and contacts were established. One of the main aims of this task force is to establish techniques to enable cyclic deformations to be measured and analysed. This type of work is already underway at the University of Nottingham, whereby kinematic GPS, servo driven total stations, accelerometers and pseudolites are being used to measure dynamic deformations of structures. The types of structures currently under observation are bridges. This work is currently funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under a joint project with Cranfield University entitled “A Remote Health Monitoring System Using Computational Simulation and GPS Sensors”. In addition to the two research centers, Railtrack, W. S. Atkins and Pell Frishmann are also involved with this ₤500,000 (approximately $750,000) research project. The results from this project are presented at the various relevant FIG meetings.

Furthermore, the FIG meetings allow researchers from all over the world to gather and discuss various issues concerning the work. Consequently, individual links are firmed and research collaboration is established. For example, there has been a great deal of collaborative research and exchanges with the University of Nottingham and the University of New South Wales. It is hoped that more similar collaboration will be established and encouraged through the FIG meetings. This means that such work will not simply concentrate within the FIG meetings themselves, but will expand outside of the meetings, but will then hopefully report back to the meetings and conferences through paper presentations. Members of this task force attended the IAG/FIG conference in Berlin in May 2002, and presented a variety of papers relevant to the field. This was a good meeting and an opportunity to talk with more colleagues about the variety of international work. A variety of papers on this subject were also presented at the FIG WG 6.1 meeting in Santorini in May 2003.

A workshop will be held at Nottingham during the summer of 2004. This will be in conjunction with a meeting of Working Group 6.4. It is anticipated that the attendees will be more than just surveyors, and will include structural engineers and other people interested in this type of work.
Anyone wishing to participate and contribute to Task Force 6.1.4 should contact Dr. Gethin Roberts, email: Gethin.Roberts@nottingham.ac.uk.