Mohammed Abbas Mousa

Digital image correlation (DIC) is an optical technique used to measure surface displacements and strains in materials and structures. This technique has demonstrated significant utility in structural examination and monitoring. This manuscript offers a comprehensive review of the contemporary research and applications that have leveraged the DIC technique in laboratory-based structural tests. The reviewed works encompass a broad spectrum of structural components, such as concrete beams, columns, pillars, masonry walls, infills, composite materials, structural joints, steel beams, slabs, and other structural elements. These investigations have underscored the efficacy of DIC as a metrological instrument for the precise quantification of surface deformation and strain in these structural components. Moreover, the constraints of the DIC technique have been highlighted, especially in scenarios involving extensive or complex test configurations. Notwithstanding these constraints, the effectiveness of the DIC methodology has been validated as a strain measurement instrument, offering numerous benefits such as non-invasive operation, full-field measurement capability, high precision, real-time surveillance, and compatibility with integration into other measurement instruments and methodologies.

This research provides a practical guideline for Digital Image Correlation (DIC) data variations minimization in structural engineering through simple image processing techniques. The main objective of this research is to investigate the Pixel Averaging (P.A.) effect on the differential strain Diff(εx) variations. Three concrete arches were tested with three-point bending using the DIC technique for strain measurements. The measured strains are obtained through two virtual horizontal extensometers in the middle of each arch. The Diff(εx) was selected to avoid other 2D-DIC issues, such as the sample-camera out-of-plane movement. Three image cases, namely, one, ten, and twenty averaged images, were used for DIC analysis of each arch. The conditions of each image case are assessed by computing the Diff(εx) variance and the linear least square criterion (R2) between the two extensometers. The second objective is to examine the speckles’ dilation effects on the speckle pattern density and surface component quality utilizing the Image Erode (I.E.) technique. The (P.A.) technique provided consistent differential strain Diff(εx) values with a variance reduction of up to (90%) when averaged images were used. The (R2) has considerably increased (from 0.46, 0.66, 0.91 to 0.90, 0.96, 0.99), respectively, for the three samples. Moreover, the (I.E.) technique provided qualitatively denser speckles with a highly consistent DIC surface component.

A vision-based approach has been employed in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of bridge infrastructure. The approach has many advantages: non-contact, non-destructive, long-distance, high precision, immunity from electromagnetic interference, and multiple-target monitoring. This review aims to summarise the vision- and Digital Image Correlation (DIC)-based SHM methods for bridge infrastructure because of their strategic significance and security concerns. Four different bridge types were studied: concrete, suspension, masonry, and steel bridge. DIC applications in SHM have recently garnered attention in aiding to assess the bridges’ structural response mechanisms under loading. Different non-destructive diagnostics methods for SHM in civil infrastructure have been used; however, vision-based techniques like DIC were only developed over the last two decades, intending to facilitate damage detection in bridge systems with prompt and accurate data for efficient and sustainable operation of the bridge structure throughout its service life. Research works reviewed in this article demonstrated the DIC capability to detect damage such as cracks, spalling, and structural parameters such as deformation, strains, vibration, deflection, and rotation. In addition, the reviewed works indicated that the DIC as an efficient and reliable technique could provide sustainable monitoring solutions for different bridge infrastructures.

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a full-field non-contact optical technique used for measuring displacement and strain. The considered technique, twodimensional digital image correlation 2D-DIC is used for in-plane measurements. In this paper, a simple 2D-DIC model and smartphone camera were used to determine the out-of-plane displacement of a glass table. The out-of-plane displacement measurements were experimentally validated by comparing it with a dial gauge data at specific points. Further, analytical and numerical models were performed to validate the experimental results. The DIC results show a good agreement with the dial gauge and the analytical and numerical models. The current testing technique elaborates a promising simple, fast, and cheap testing technique for out-of-plane displacement measurements applications.

Recently, the use of recycled plastic waste in civil engineering applications has been increased. This paper aims to investigate the effect of water-cement ratio on the compressive strength of concrete that contents 2.5% polypropylene (PP) as plastic waste. Two references concrete mixes were prepared. The first mix had a water-cement ratio of 0.45 with 2.5% plastic waste, the second mix with 0.45 water cement ratio but without plastic waste. Three concrete mixes with water cement ratios of (0.5, 0.4, and 0.3) were also used as parametric study cases. The results indicated that decreasing the water-cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.4 increases the compressive strength by 20.2%. Also, the compressive strength increases by 36.2% with decreasing of water cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.3. While the compressive strength decreases by 12% with the increase of water-cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.5.

The aim of this project is to investigate a novel and affordable option to externally strengthen substandard concrete masonry (CM) walls for out-of-plane loads (eg, high winds and flying debris). Two types of strengthening materials for fiber-reinforced cement mortar (FRCM) overlays are investigated; namely, fishing net (FN) and welded wire steel mesh (WWSM) reinforcements.