Internet of Things and Data Analytics Handbook

40STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING

GEORGE LU Y.J. YANG

goodXense, Inc., Edison, NJ, USA

40.1 INTRODUCTION

Structures are all around us. Structures are ubiquitous in the physical world we live in. The structures we live or work in need to shield us from the weather elements, withstand some degree of degradation over time, and stay strong over a time scale that is comparatively longer than one’s lifetime. The vehicles we travel in need to offer comfort and safety through the modes of transportation and be able to protect us through collisions. We expect likewise of the transportation infrastructure we travel on: the railroads, bridges, ramps, etc.

Structures don’t last forever; to build and operate structures within a reasonable budget, they are designed to support a specific load over a limited lifetime and withstand environmental changes to a limited degree. Structural health degrades over time as intended. It is important to make sure that a structure continues to offer the required level of service as it ages. Structural failures are very expensive and often cost lives. Structural health monitoring (SHM) is essential to inspect a structure’s health over time to ensure it continues to meet operational requirement. SHM is essential to ensure public safety and efficiency.

SHM has been done mostly manually and periodically. The interval between inspections varies, depending on the operating organizations’ practice. It is not rare to hear of annual or even biannual inspections. Modern ...