Sensing methods in civil engineering for an efficient construction management

Sensing methods including Non-destructive testing and monitoring techniques are fundamental tools for performing an efficient condition management system for structures in service. They can on one hand support regular visual inspections and help on the other side to assess the actual condition and performance of a building. These methods provide reliable data for the stakeholders to estimate the necessity for current and future investments into a structure. The main purpose of a monitoring system in civil structures is to support activities of engineers in doing structural assessment. A monitoring technique which is presented consists of a wireless sensor network using different types of sensors including MEMS. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) can be used to monitor a certain region of a structure providing data about different physical measures. Some properties to be measured in-situ are the Eigenvibrations of the structure, humidity and temperature outside and inside the structure, unusual stress and strain, and the detection of cracks and other deteriorations. An embedded sensor system is developed to acquire the structural condition and a wireless network propagates the sensor data towards a common base station where further analysis is performed.