Earthquake Early Detection as an IEEE1451 Transducer Network Trigger for Urban Infrastructure Monitoring and Protection

Abstract

The occurrence of an earthquake has immediate consequences, such as the destruction of buildings. However, the impact can be much more severe and extend over time. The arrival of an earthquake's destructive wave can subsequently: produce a rupture in water distribution pipes, leading to water leakage, when water is even more valuable; break gas pipelines that will continue to lose gas and cause explosions leading to fires; cause the electrical power grid to come into contact with conductive structures, putting humans at risk of electrocution; or cause electrical discharges, which, in the presence of flammable materials, can give rise to fires. On the other hand, the storage of information collected by sensors that monitor the forces and deformations to which the building structure is subjected during the earthquake, allows engineers to know its state of health, right after the occurrence of the earthquake, making it possible to draw conclusions about the safety level of the building, not only for the immediate rescue, but also to execute the recovery and stabilization work [1], [2].