An Embedded Wireless Sensor Network with Wireless Power Transmission Capability for the Structural Health Monitoring of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Abstract

Maintenance strategies based on structural health monitoring can provide effective support in the optimization of scheduled repair of existing structures, thus enabling their lifetime to be extended. With specific regard to reinforced concrete (RC) structures, the state of the art seems to still be lacking an efficient and cost-effective technique capable of monitoring material properties continuously over the lifetime of a structure. Current solutions can typically only measure the required mechanical variables in an indirect, but economic, manner, or directly, but expensively. Moreover, most of the proposed solutions can only be implemented by means of manual activation, making the monitoring very inefficient and then poorly supported. This paper proposes a structural health monitoring system based on a wireless sensor network (WSN) that enables the automatic monitoring of a complete structure. The network includes wireless distributed sensors embedded in the structure itself, and follows the monitoring-based maintenance (MBM) approach, with its ABCDE paradigm, namely: accuracy, benefit, compactness, durability, and easiness of operations. The system is structured in a node level and has a network architecture that enables all the node data to converge in a central unit. Human control is completely unnecessary until the periodic evaluation of the collected data. Several tests are conducted in order to characterize the system from a metrological point of view and assess its performance and effectiveness in real RC conditions.

Switchable Glass Enabled Contextualization for a Cyber-Physical Safe and Interactive Spatial Augmented Reality PCBA Manufacturing Inspection System

“…With regard to communication of PC components within the architecture ( Figure 1 ) to relay information, we adopt wireless communication [ 44 ] from the designated server to the clients. The networking infrastructure is developed in Unity3D, a cross-platform development platform that supports wireless relay of messages across the transport layer based on user datagram protocol (UDP).…”

Implementation of a Wireless Sensor Network Designed to Be Embedded in Reinforced Concrete

“…These technologies are, for instance, used for SHM applications through active tags [21] or tags intrinsically able to quantify a physical parameter [22]. Nevertheless, implementations based on WPT were proposed too, as in [23] which used short range nearfield (or inductive) WPT and M-BUS medium range communication technology, or in [24] which used medium range far-field WPT and BLE medium range communication technology. Equally, solutions based on RF far-field EH were developed, as in [25] but at the cost of a large system.…”

Miniature Resistance Measurement Device for Structural Health Monitoring of Reinforced Concrete Infrastructure

“…Peak power consumption may not be optimized, as the embedded sensor measures a higher resistance than an AC injecting embedded sensor, therefore requiring higher current injection. Embedded wireless sensors require an inductively coupled external power supply connection, and they have been reported as consuming as high as 150 mA of current at 12 V during peak power operation [28].…”