The use of remote non-destructive methods to assist in understanding the condition and change of condition of building elements

Upcoming themed issue of Engineering History and Heritage
 

Submit your abstract proposal by 31 January 2024

There are broadly two categories of monitoring; contact and non-contact. Contact typically means instrumentation attached to the thing to be monitored. Examples being strain gauges, load cells, inclinometers, accelerometers, prism targets for Total Station/EDM.

Non-contact used to be confined to photogrammetry. The ubiquity of high resolution light sensitive chips and miniaturisation of lasers, that through digital image correction, have changed the nature of terrestrial photogrammetry. Techniques used in the manufacturing sector are finding extended applications in the construction sector, examples being laser doppler vibrometers and thermal imaging. Perhaps sitting between contact and non-contact is acoustic emission, depending on where sensors have to be installed.

Non-contact monitoring can greatly reduce the challenges, and therefore cost and time, of providing safe access that is commonly a major aspect of contact monitoring. For protected historically significant buildings and structures (Listed or Scheduled Monuments in the UK) non-contact greatly reduces the consent process that would otherwise be required to enable the installation of instrumentation.

For historic buildings there are often elements of the building fabric that whilst not usually thought of as part of the building structure nonetheless are structures that have to transmit load to their supports. That load is typically the self weight but may also include periodic loads from access for maintenance and repair. Examples are masonry vaulted ceilings and lime or fibrous plaster ceilings.

Non-contact monitoring makes it easier to collect data in sufficient quantities to use the principles of pattern recognition that can bring another "dimension" to the science and art of assessing condition. Data sets collected at different times can also assist in gauging change in condition.

This call for papers is an opportunity to share how research and development in this field is evolving and case studies of application to a wide, diverse, audience of practitioners.

Papers are particularly welcome on:

• Use of the techniques for assisting condition assessment and changes of condition
• Techniques customarily used in manufacturing that are being applied to the built environment
• Use of the techniques for building fabric, e.g. historic plaster ceilings, that involve engineering contributions in assessing condition and exploring repair and conservation programmes.
   

Full manuscript submission 30 April 2024.