Real-Time structural health monitoring for concrete beams: a cost-effective 'Industry 4.0' Solution using Piezo Sensors

Ghosh, A. and Edwards, D.J. and Hosseini, M.R. and Al-Ameri, R. and Abawajy, J. and Thwala, W.D. (2020) Real-Time structural health monitoring for concrete beams: a cost-effective 'Industry 4.0' Solution using Piezo Sensors. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation. ISSN 2398-4708

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Abstract

Purpose: This research paper adopts the fundamental tenets of advanced technologies in industry 4.0 to monitor the structural health of concrete beam members using cost effective non-destructive technologies. In so doing, the work illustrates how a coalescence of low-cost digital technologies can seamlessly integrate to solve practical construction problems.

Methodology: A mixed philosophies epistemological design is adopted to implement the empirical quantitative analysis of ‘real-time’ data collected via sensor-based technologies streamed through a Raspberry Pi and uploaded onto a cloud-based system. Data was analysed using a hybrid approach that combined both vibration characteristic based method and linear variable differential transducers (LVDT).

Findings: The research utilises a novel digital research approach for accurately detecting and recording the localisation of structural cracks in concrete beams. This nondestructive low-cost approach was shown to perform with a high degree of accuracy and precision, as verified by the LVDT measurements. This research is testament to the fact that as technological advancements progress at an exponential rate, the cost of implementation continues to reduce to produce higher accuracy ‘mass-market’ solutions for industry practitioners.

Originality: Accurate structural health monitoring of concrete structures necessitates expensive equipment, complex signal processing and skilled operator. The concrete industry is in dire need of a simple but reliable technique that can reduce the testing time, cost and complexity of maintenance of structures. This was the first experiment of its kind that seeks to develop an unconventional approach to solve the maintenance problem associated with concrete structures. This study merges industry 4.0 digital technologies with a novel low-cost and automated hybrid analysis for real-time structural health monitoring of concrete beams by fusing several multidisciplinary approaches in one integral technological configuration.

Item Type: Article
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-12-2019-0111
Dates:
DateEvent
25 March 2020Accepted
5 May 2020Published
Uncontrolled Keywords: Structural health monitoring, Industry 4.0, piezoceramic sensor, Internet of Things (IoT), concrete, construction industry.
Subjects: CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-01 - architecture
CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-02 - building
CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-04 - planning (urban, rural and regional)
Divisions: Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment > School of Engineering and the Built Environment
Depositing User: Euan Scott
Date Deposited: 26 Mar 2020 17:12
Last Modified: 12 Jan 2022 13:31
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/9059

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