Development of a self-contained wireless-based SHM system for monitoring a swing bridge

Abstract

Structural health monitoring (SHM) based on wireless sensor network (WSN) technology has been introduced into civil infrastructures in recent years due to its advantages of easy and flexible installation, low system cost and increased robustness. The wireless–based SHM system involves a multidisciplinary effort that encompasses a number of synergetic technologies brought together to provide a system that can potentially monitor the structural condition of a structure in real time. In this paper, a WSN for SHM is designed, implemented and tested on a swing Beaufort #25 Bridge at the East Coast of North Carolina. To characterise the dynamic behaviour of the swing bridge, seven wireless sensor nodes are distributed along the 55–m main span, which intended to collect acceleration data from the structure under ambient vibration. The acquisition data will then be stored and sent via the base station to a website, where the user can download these data and display it by a GUI tool. The wireless sensing unit is designed not only for reliable communication of response acceleration measurements but also for self–powered capacity. This study explores two energy harvesting approaches, solar panel and miniature wind turbine, to provide the power demands of the wireless sensor nodes.