Design and development of SiteHive MEMS based system for real-time vibration monitoring

Abstract

Construction projects need to proactively manage their works that may cause vibration impacts to nearby structures and stakeholders. Risks of vibration include cosmetic and structural damage to buildings and threats to human comfort. The advent of MEMS accelerometers offers significant opportunities to improve on traditional vibration monitoring practices based on geophones. Geophones measure velocity which preclude acceleration based measurements and calculations like vibration dose value (the measure for human comfort), groundborne noise, and auto-levelling. The inability to capture these results means additional monitoring devices are required to capture all key measurements. MEMS-based vibration monitoring systems can be much cheaper, smaller, and more power efficient than traditional vibration monitoring systems. This enables easier installation, greater mobility, and more monitoring to be conducted. SiteHive has worked extensively with the National Measurement Institute (NMI) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to test and validate the efficacy of the MEMS-based accelerometers and develop a calibration system for MEMS-based devices. This paper will outline the design research and findings that have gone into this development, results from field testing, and details on the value offered by this innovation.