Long-term structural health monitoring on concrete structures

Sustainability of the infrastructure structural performance can be assessed by performing continuous Structural Health Monitoring System (SHMS) on the structural deformational properties. The essence of SHMS can be considered to involve measurement, inspection, and assessment of in-service structures on a continuous basis with minimum labor requirement. However, human memory limitation, job position transformation, imperfection and inability to provide a reliable monitoring system can lead to overly optimistic reports on structural health. Therefore, a sustainable SHMS which fulfill AtoE characteristics i.e. Accuracy, Benefit, Compendiousness, Durability and Ease in operation, is necessary to be consider in designing a reliable long-term SHMS, especially for concrete structures which has been considered to be long-term maintenance-free structures. The concrete structural health condition can be assessed based on the field-retrieved actual stress data by utilizing EM Sensory technology. The concrete creep, and concrete shrinkage can be continuously monitored from the beginning of service life and the structural health can be assessed punctually during its life-span.