Non-Contact Vibration Monitoring of Infrastructure using Ground-based Radar

This evening event is organised by the SECED Young Members' Subcommittee and is chaired by Mohamed Elzeadani. The event will be held in-person at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London and will also be broadcast online.

Synopsis

This talk presents the application of low‑cost, portable Frequency‑Modulated Continuous‑Wave (FMCW) radar systems for non‑contact monitoring of bridge vibrations. Ageing bridges require cost-effective strategies for continuous monitoring and anomaly detection. However, conventional sensors typically need installation on the structure, can be expensive, and require regular maintenance, potentially leading to disruption or bridge closures. FMCW radar offers a safe, remote alternative capable of capturing structural motion without requiring physical installation on the bridge. The seminar will introduce the operating principles of FMCW radar, the vibration measurement mechanism, and the signal‑processing methodologies used to extract high‑precision displacement and frequency information. It will also cover laboratory validation and field experiments demonstrating the suitability of these sensors for capturing modal behaviour and dynamic response of bridges. The talk concludes with a discussion of current limitations, including environmental sensitivity and operational considerations, and outlines future research directions aimed at improving robustness, scalability, and deployment across wider bridge networks.

About the speaker

Vikram Kumar Ramesh is a PhD researcher in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. His research focuses on developing low-cost radar-based technologies for non-contact monitoring of civil infrastructure and river flow. He holds a Master of Technology (by Research) in Structural Engineering from IIT Mandi, India. His research experience includes structural vibration monitoring, bridge seismic resilience, and radar-based sensing technologies. As part of his research, Vikram and his team were awarded the Scottish Transport Award 2026 for Excellence in Technology and Innovation for their project on a radar-based infrastructure monitoring platform.

Registration

The event is open to all and is free to attend.

• In-person attendance at this meeting is free and no registration is required. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served from 5.30pm - 6pm. 
• The event will also be broadcast online. To attend the presentation online, please join the meeting via Zoom* by clicking on this link.

Further information

The event will be preceded by the AGM of the Young Members of SECED (6pm - 6.30pm) link. For further information, please contact Mohamed Elzeadani (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

* Zoom is freely available on all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. To download and install the software, follow thislink . SECED is not sponsored by or otherwise affiliated with Zoom, and we do not endorse any Zoom products.