Some practical issues in remote structural health monitoring

Abstract

Structural health monitoring (SHM) activities in civil engineering grow at a rapid pace and mature in both research and field applications. Internet technology was successfully incorporated into structural health monitoring, which makes it possible to manage real-time sensing data and centralize the remote structural monitoring systems. With the increase in size and complexity of the monitored structures, more sensors and data acquisition equipment is involved. This paper addresses some specific issues related to long distance small signal transmission and Ethernet IP sharing between different devices. The issue of data volume versus storage space and communication bandwidth is discussed especially in the application of web camera image transfer and recording. The approaches are illustrated through reference to two current case studies, which include a bridge and a statue. It can be seen that these practical solutions employed by ISIS Canada are easy to implement and reduce the cost for the maintenance of SHM systems. The paper also discusses future activities and research needs related to the reliability and security of the SHM system.