Components of structural monitoring process and selection of monitoring system

Structural monitoring is a process aiming at providing accurate and in-time information concerning structural condition and performance. It consists of permanent continuous, periodical or periodically continuous recording of representative parameters, over short- or long-terms. The information obtained from monitoring is generally used to plan and design maintenance activities, increase the safety, verify hypothesis, reduce uncertainty and to widen the knowledge concerning monitored structure. In spite of its importance the culture on structural monitoring is not yet widespread. It is often considered as an accessory activity, which doesn't require detailed planning. The facts are rather the opposite. Monitoring process is very complex process full of delicate phases and only a proper and detailed planning of each of its steps can lead to its successful and maximal performance. Main steps of the structural monitoring process are selection of monitoring strategy, installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment and data management. Each of these steps is also complex itself, e.g. monitoring strategy consists of definition of monitoring aim, selection of representative parameters to be monitored, selection of monitoring system, definition of sensor network design and schedule of monitoring etc. The totality of devices used to perform monitoring is conventionally called monitoring system. The main components of the monitoring systems are the sensors, the reading unit and the managing software, while accessory components are extension cables, connection boxes etc. The selection of the monitoring system depends on monitoring requirements and effectiveness of the system in answering on these requirements. These requirements have to include not only monitoring performances of the system, but also ease of integration in each step of monitoring process, i.e. ease of installation, maintenance and data management. In this paper structural monitoring process is defined and described in details, its interaction with selection of monitoring system is examined and illustrated in case of the SOFO monitoring system on real on-site applications.