Monitoring of Structural Safety of Buildings Using Wireless Network of MEMS Sensors

Abstract

The 21st century abounds in modern electronic-information technologies, which are applied in many areas of life. Amongst many modern technologies there is also the Internet of Things (IoT) that is the concept of incorporating objects and devices equipped with a communication interface into the telecommunication and IT networks. This particular feature makes IoT a paradigm that can be successfully applied to measurement systems used in research in civil engineering, especially using a wireless sensor network deployed in scattered research locations. In turn, technological progress in the miniaturization of sensors and controllers allows the construction of very efficient and low-cost systems for monitoring the physical parameters of buildings, which are safety indicators. The main purpose of this paper is to present the concept of wireless network of MEMS-based sensors with particular emphasis on its application in monitoring of structural safety including the author’s own system based on Long Range (LoRa) technology. The exact novelty of the proposed concept is the synergistic synthesis of solutions in the field of electronics, micromechanics and computer science, applied for civil engineering purposes. The system consists of MEMS accelerometers based on MPU6050 chips and A1302 Hall-effect sensors supported by AVR microcontrollers and LoRa transceivers based on RF98 chips operating at 433 MHz. The prototype of the measuring network was installed in a selected university building in which structural discontinuities (wall cracks) were noted. Sample results of measurements of the impact of service loads on the building structure behavior were presented in the form of accelerograms.