The Advantage of an Integrated RTK-GPS System in Monitoring Structural Deformation

Abstract

Monitoring structural response induced by severe loadings such as typhoon is an efficient way to mitigate or prevent damage. Because the measured signal can be used to activate an alarm system to evacuate people from an endangered building, or to drive a control system to suppress typhoon excited vibrations so as to protect the integrity of the structure. A 108m tall tower in Tokyo has been monitored by an integrated system combining RTK-GPS and accelerometers. Data collected by the multi-sensor system have been analysed and compared to the original finite element modeling (FEM) result for structural deformation monitoring studies. Especially, the short time Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis results have shown that the time-frequency relation does give us almost instantaneous frequency response during a typhoon event. In this paper the feasibility of integrating advanced sensing technologies such as RTK-GPS with traditional accelerometer sensors, for structural vibration response and deformation monitoring under severe loading conditions, is discussed. The redundancy within the integrated system has shown robust quality assurance.