Dynamic Modal Identification of Telecommunication Towers Using Ground Based Radar Interferometry

Abstract

This work presents a methodology to monitor the dynamic behaviour of tall metallic towers based on ground-based radar interferometry, and apply it to the case of telecommunication towers. Ground-based radar displacement measurements of metallic towers are acquired without installing any Corner Reflector (CR) on the structure. Each structural element of the tower is identified based on its range distance with respect to the radar. The interferometric processing of a time series of radar profiles is used to measure the vibration frequencies of each structural element and estimate the amplitude of its oscillation. A methodology is described to visualize the results and provide a useful tool for the real-time analysis of the dynamic behaviour of metallic towers.

Keywords

• ground-based radar
• radar interferometry
• vibration frequency
• displacement
• structural health
• trellis