Dynamic Deformation Measurement by the Sampling Moiré Method from Video Recording and its Application to Bridge Engineering

Measuring accurate dynamic deformation distribution for large-scale structures inexpensively and efficiently is a crucial challenge of structural health monitoring. In this study, a simple technique for measuring the deflection and vibration frequency from a captured video, based on the sampling Moiré method is developed. The striking advantage over conventional measurement using sensors and other imaging techniques are that the developed technique allows accurate measurement of two-dimensional deformations at multiple locations as well as the natural frequency of the target structure. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)-formatted images encoded from the recorded video with Motion-JPEG (MJPEG) format reduced the file size significantly without degrading the measurement accuracy and applied to deformation measurement. The effectiveness of the developed technique was confirmed through a field experiment of an old bridge in Taiwan. The field experiment demonstrated that both deflection and natural frequency of the bridge were successfully measured with higher 0.1 mm displacement accuracy and 0.05 Hz frequecy comparable to a conventional microwave radar displacement sensor from 20 m distance.