Structural Health Monitoring

Structural Health Monitoring
Smart IoT applications

Next Industries / Smart IoT Applications / Structural Health Monitoring

Why is structural health monitoring crucial?

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a crucial technique that involves the observation and analysis of data samples from a system dedicated to monitoring changes in the material and geometric properties of various structures, including buildings (both ancient and modern), bridges, dams, and tunnels. By utilizing a range of sophisticated sensors, data acquisition systems (data logger), data transfer systems, data management systems, and data analysis tools, SHM systems can provide valuable insights into the health and performance of structures.

What sensors are used for structural health monitoring?

The typical measurements obtained through structural health monitoring systems include various parameters such as vibration amplitude and frequency, stress state, strain, inclination, displacements, deformation, and cracking. In addition to these structural measurements, it is also essential to consider external factors that can impact the structure, such as wind, temperature, humidity, and other environmental parameters.

Benefits

to reduce maintenance and operations costs
to reduce the risk of structural collapses
to automatize data reading and collection
to improve safety in workplaces, public places, structures

Why should we analyze the data?

By analyzing the collected data, professionals can gain valuable information regarding the structural functioning and identify any complexities or degradation that may be present. This information is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of complex structures, especially those susceptible to decay over time. In conclusion, the field of structural health monitoring, with its advanced sensors, applications, and data analysis capabilities, plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of various structures in various industries.

Structural health monitoring can involve the entire structure (global monitoring) or only a part (local monitoring) and it can be:

Short term
to examine the state of the structure at a specific moment in time
Continuous
where the structure is monitored for a very long period of time (months, years or for the entire useful life of the structure itself)
Periodic
when various short-term monitoring is repeated at a given time interval
Triggered
when acquisitions are made even when the threshold values set by the designer or technical regulations are exceeded with the possibility, when that happens, to activate alarms