Structural Health
Structural health monitoring is key to improving decision making, managing risks, increasing safety, increasing productivity, optimizing designs, and reducing costs for the long term health of our assets
An Overview
Structural Health Monitoring
Many asset owners and their engineering design firms assess and manage the health of their structures to prioritize maintenance/rehabilitation and replacement of aging structures. Historically, visual inspections have been the main form of assessment of these structures.
Structural health monitoring systems can be used to complement visual inspections by providing real-time data of structural parameters. Over time, changes in these parameters can give indications of the health of the structure and allow the owner to prioritize which assets need urgent attention. Action plans can be designed and implemented based upon collected data.
Structural health monitoring can be used both on aging and new structures alike and many new structures are being designed with SHM specified.
BENEFITS OF MONITRING SYSTEMS
- By deploying instruments on structures, a reliable and accurate understanding of their structural safety and integrity can be achieved. Ideally, SHM is implemented prior to concerns with the assets’ health, to allow for the collection of baseline data. In the case of aging structures, monitoring trends over time is critical.
- Asset managers are given the ability to compare the acquired instrumentation data with the assumptions made in design and can make informed decisions. They can then make conclusions regarding the health of the structures as well as prioritize funds for maintenance/rehabilitation or replacement.
- Monitoring instruments provide insight to key areas of concern, such as:
- Load and stress
- Tilt
- Displacement
- Acceleration/vibration
CORE STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING COMPONENTS
- Instrumentation type and data acquisition and collection methods should be selected to suit site-specific conditions and stability concerns.
- Instrumentation installations should be designed to answer site-specific concerns in the structure including the structural parameters to monitor and the location to install the sensor.
- A variety of data acquisition options are available to meet site-specific needs. These can range from manual to fully automated systems.
- RST’s Instrumentation Engineers and Specialists can aid in selecting the right solutions for your site conditions.
Past Structural Health Monitoring Projects
- Marquette Interchange Project, Illinois- USA
- 1-5 SB Plantable Geosynthetic Reinforced Wall, California – USA
- Checkerboard Creek BC Hydro – Canada
- Trans Alta Utilities – Canada
- Caltrans – State Routes 880/262 Applied Solutions Consultants, California – USA
- State Highway 130, Texas – USA
- CNRL West & East Tank Farm – Canada
- District of North Vancouver, Berkeley Rd. Landslide – Canada
- Roger’s Sugar Silo/Horizon Engineering – Canada
- Greater Vancouver Regional District, Highway 10 & 15 – Canada
- Bema Gold Corporation – Russia
- Border Infrastructure Program, Surrey, BC – Canada
- Klohn-Crippen – Canada
- Gaia – Canada
- President George Bush Turnpike Highway Project, Texas – USACP Rail: Roger’s Pass – Canada
- MTR – Hong Kong
- KCRC West Rail Contracts – Hong Kong
- Lam Construction – Hong Kong
- Seoul Subway Corporation – Korea
- Highways Hong Kong Contract – Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Airport – Hong Kong
- Petronas, Kota Kinnabalu – Malaysia
- Tseung Kwan O Building Development – Hong Kong
- MTRC Rail Extension, Tseung Kong O Lin – Hong Kong
- Tung Hu Slope Monitoring Project – Taiwan
Speak with an Expert
I’m very happy with the quality of the instrumentation and technical support from RST, as always. They worked with us from the initial stages of the project to ensure that we were fully prepared and equipped to use the RSTAR network for the first time. They delivered everything within the tight project time frame to ensure that there were no delays on site, and the submersible tilt meters looked like new even after over twelve months of being submerged in Thames water!
-Richard Lipscombe, BEng (Hons), Director & Principle Consultant - RL Geotechnical Ltd