Structural health monitoring using an array of spatially distributed sensors

This paper presents the use of an array of spatially distributed sensors for the development of a complete system designed for structural health monitoring. The system includes wireless and wired sensors and has a low cost implementation. We have build a reduced size system for the proof of concept, using a Resistive Temperature Detector with Infra-red connectivity, monitored by a Local Station communicating to a Central Station, allowing the characterization of an entire structure. If implemented in a campus of buildings, the Local Stations collect data from the sensors and send it to the Central Station. When risks arise, the closest Local Station and the Central Station trigger alarms, depending on the degree of danger. The administrator of the building is sent an e-mail message, letting him know the type of the alarm that was triggered and the location of the danger.All the tasks mentioned above are automated using dedicated software applications developed in LabView and C#. A commercially available software package is provided by National Instruments [1], but it was developed with concern to wireless sensors. In addition to that one, we adapted our system so that it could also integrate wired sensors.