Particle swarm optimization for optimal sensor placement in ultrasonic SHM systems

A Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to improve sensors placement in an ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system where the detection is performed through the beam-forming imaging algorithm. The imaging algorithm reconstructs the defect image and estimates its location based on analytically generated signals, considering circular through hole damage in an aluminum plate as the tested structure. Then, the PSO algorithm changes the position of sensors to improve the accuracy of the detection. Thus, the two algorithms are working together iteratively to optimize the system configuration, taking into account a complete modeling of the SHM system. It is shown that this approach can provide good sensors placements for detection of multiple defects in the target area, and for different numbers of sensors