Comparison of different low-cost sensors for structural health monitoring

Recently, the need for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and inspection is growing as a result of the increasing age of the structural stock worldwide. SHM includes bringing into use a sensor or an array of sensors into an engineered structure. This paper evaluates the practical aspects to consider when choosing different low-cost sensors for using in a SHM application. For this reason, a microcontroller (Arduino) with attached sensors (Ultrasonic, Laser, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Temperature-humidity, SD-module) has been used throughout different controlled ambient situations and experiments. During the sensor installation and data acquisition, some issues related to the Arduino codes and position of the sensors arise. In this article solutions for tackling faced problems have been presented for achieving an efficient way of using these electronic devices. Their data have been collected to assess and compare their tolerances as well as advantages and disadvantages of their use, cost among them. The information from this article could be used either to choose the appropriate sensors either for static or for dynamic Structural System Identification (SSI).