Dynamic Characterization of Civil Engineering Structures with Wireless MEMS Accelerometers

Over the last couple of decades, significant efforts have been made to develop structural health monitoring solutions. The growing need for the dynamic characterization of structures supports the implementation of condition assessments, maintenance, and monitoring strategies for existing and new civil engineering structures, and to provide increased safety for the public. Wireless monitoring systems are still being improved as the technology is finding a wider use for the monitoring of civil engineering structures, thanks to their easier installation and reduced costs when compared to the wired counterparts. In this context, this paper presents a new wireless network system for the dynamic characterization of civil engineering structures, whose distinguishing features comprise combining cutting-edge accelerometers, excellent signal synchronization, low battery consumption nodes, and a cloud-based framework to support the monitoring operations. The performance characteristics are validated through laboratory tests and are demonstrated on a newly constructed 211 m tall building.