en
en es
Phone +34 985 73 39 52
Linkedin Twitter

solutions

Structural health monitoring of buildings

Home » Structural health monitoring of buildings

ENVIRA develops projects to study the mechanical and physicochemical damage that can affect the integrity and preservation of the structures, with the purpose of diagnosing if maintenance or reinforcement is needed to avoid or postpone degradation.

The monitoring of structural health in buildings is a method based on sensors that collect data, which are later processed and interpreted. The purpose of this is to acquire a deep understanding of the conditions and the state of the structure, and to conduct preventive or corrective maintenance actions that will improve the safety of the building and guarantee its preservation.

Mechanical damage monitoring

Sensors are placed at strategic points along a structure to monitor mechanical damage generated as a result of earthquakes, unpredictable events or their normal use. Mechanical damage has its origin in external or internal structural, constructive forces or in use.

The monitoring system, based on IoT technology, is conducted over very short periods of time, thus providing real-time information to make the decision making quicker and more immediate.

Taking into account present and/or future damages that can be a hazard for the stability of the buildings or harm their users, sensors are set up in the relevant points to:

  • Monitor vibrations with an accelerometer, as they can affect the behavior of the structure while operating.
  • Monitor deviations from the vertical with an inclinometer.
  • Determine the movements of the structures by the displacement of already existing cracks with a linear crackmeter.
  • Monitor other data important for decision making such as temperature and humidity, because they can have an influence on the appearance or presence of dilatations, corrosion, mold or rust.

Physicochemical damage monitoring

One of the most common forms of physical damage in buildings is the appearance of humidity. Regarding chemical damage, the most known and visually evident are oxidation, corrosion, efflorescence and chemical injuries caused by living organisms (plants, insect pests, chemical attack by excrement and fungi).

With the solution for structural health monitoring of buildings, physicochemical damage can also be studied by installing a sensor network that monitors variables such as temperature, humidity, dilatations, corrosion, molds or oxides.

Data acquisition and communication system

The datalogger collects the data monitored and sends it, via internet, to an Internet service by means of M2M standard communication protocols such as REST, MQTT, which store it in a database for future reference. The period for sending the data can be adjusted according to the client's preferences. The flexibility of the firmware displayed enables the equipment to be directly integrated with any kind of IoT platform or control center, both cloud-based and local, through communication protocols (format of messages, communication and transport networks, M2M networks) completely adapted to each case. Communication with the optional communication modules at ENVIRA are wireless, with technologies such as 3g, LTE, LORA®, and soon with Narrow-Band.

Data display and analysis

The data collected by the sensors are transmitted to the ENVIRA DS platform, where the information can be graphicly displayed or downloaded for further analysis with other tools.

The data collected by the sensors are transmitted to the ENVIRA DS platform, where the information can be graphically displayed or downloaded for further analysis with other tools.

 

With this data you get:

  • Monitoring of structures and buildings in real time.
  • Study of trends in the behavior of the fissures studied.
  • Increased safety and structural integrity.
  • Detection of anomalies over time.
  • Reduction of maintenance operating costs.
  • Better preventive conservation of heritage.
  • Integration with structural reinforcement strategies.

Applications of structural monitoring

This crack control system can be applied to any kind of building:

  • Residential buildings.
  • Public buildings:
    • Hospitals.
    • Sport stadiums.
    • Schools.
    • Museums.
    • Cinemas.
    • Hotels.
  • Road structures (bridges, viaducts, etc.).

Advantages

Open solution, can be integrated with external developments at any level (device, connectivity, CLOUD or user application).

An unlimited number of devices can be included in future extensions.

High-reliable and available data in real time.

Tailored system.

Complete adaptation and integration with different types of buildings.

Complete adaptation and integration with different types of buildings.

Do you want to know more about Structural health monitoring of buildings?

Contact us
BYN_Nº163 BYN_Nº163 Iso 9001 Iso 14001 Iso 27001 Iso 45001
+34 985 73 39 52

© 2023 ENVIRA: All rights reserved.

Legal Notice and Privacy Policy Cookies policies Sitemap Complaints channel