Hybrid Probability of Detection (HyPOD) for Guided Wave-based Structural Health Monitoring Systems applied to Pipelines

• Applicants: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Inka Mueller; Dr. Jens Prager
• Subject Area: Measurement Systems ; Mechanics
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 575660193

Pipelines are essential infrastructure across various sectors, including oil, gas, and chemical industries, as well as hydrogen transport and district heating. Ensuring pipeline integrity is critical for safety. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) using ultrasonic guided waves has emerged as a promising method for continuous integrity assessment, enabling early defect detection, potentially reducing inspection frequency and costs. The reliability of these SHM systems, evaluated through Probability of Detection (POD) analysis, quantifies the likelihood of detecting specific types and sizes of damage. However, conducting comprehensive experimental POD studies that account for all relevant structural, operational, and environmental uncertainties is often prohibitively expensive. Its alternative, Model-Assisted POD (MAPOD), utilizing simulations to replace extensive experimental campaigns, demands computationally efficient methods to manage the large parameter space. Both approaches lack to include the unique fingerprint, that a specific pipe application might have. The project “Hybrid Probability (HyPOD) of Detection for Guided Wave-based Structural Health Monitoring systems applied to Pipelines” aims to assess the reliability of a specific SHM system with a novel and efficient variant of the Probability of Detection (POD) analysis. The core idea is to collect the data needed for POD statistics through experiments, to get the specific fingerprint of the structure, and through efficient simulations, to include the information about effect of damage, taking advantage of both. This project proposes the further development of the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) for simulation, a semi-analytical technique that enables efficient modelling of wave propagation in undamaged pipeline sections. SBFEM significantly reduces computational time by solving large portions of the problem analytically. The current state of the SBFEM will be extended significantly to account for the multi-physical effects of a filled pipeline and the piezoelectric transducers. Both, the simulation models, and the resulting POD curve, are validated by means of experiments. Unlike conventional POD approaches that require large datasets across numerous pipelines to account for manufacturing and installation variability, HyPOD integrates the unique fingerprint of the specific pipeline directly into the analysis. This includes effects from sensor installation, material deviations, and geometric imperfections, allowing reliable SHM assessment without damaging the pipeline. At the end of the project, an efficient hybrid POD will be available that can be transferred to other structures. The project is a cooperation between Bochum University of Applied Sciences (HBO), contributing expertise in POD analysis and pipeline experimentation, and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). providing advanced simulation capabilities based on the SBFEM framework.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants