Structurally sound

WIRELESS SENSOR SYSTEM FOR STRUCTURAL

HEALTH MONITORING

CONSISTENT MONITORING OF THE STRUCTURAL HEALTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS IS A KEY CONSIDERATION THROUGHOUT A PROJECT’S LIFECYCLE TO ENSURE SAFETY OF ROAD USERS. BESTECH AUSTRALIA REVEALS HOW WIRELESS SENSOR SYSTEMS ARE USED AND CONFIGURED FOR REMOTE STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING.

The Turcot Interchange in Montreal, Canada was first built in 1967 and has been undergoing widescale reconstruction since the early 2010s.

In 2015, the Turcot Partnership was awarded the nearly $4 billion (AUD) project to completely rebuild the infrastructure.

As a large amount of remedial work was required, more than 300 BeanAir Wireless Internet of things (IOT) sensors were deployed across the intersection’s structures to assess the impacts of construction works. Environmental loads and influences, operational loads, and traffic patterns and densities were monitored, recorded and combined into a database to allow engineers to correlate events to peak loads.

A set of criteria were then developed to allow safe and sustainable operation of the interchange during the works.

The Wireless IOT Sensors supplied by BeanAir have been continuously used for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) on the major Turcot Interchange project since 2015 and now Bestech is introducing the technology to Australia.

Bestech works with leading global suppliers to ensure Australia has access to advanced sensors technology, instrumentation and data acquisition systems.

Jeremy Bryceson, Bestech Product Specialist, says the BeanAir wireless sensors are well suited to monitoring the structural health of infrastructure and large assets.

“When constructing buildings or performing remedial works on structures a significant amount of shock and vibration can be generated as a function of demolition, drilling, pile driving and so on. The vibration generated can excite nearby structures and buildings resulting in damage that can undermine their structural integrity,” Mr. Bryceson says.

“Accelerometers can be used to measure vibration frequency and amplitude. The data obtained can be used to trigger warnings indicating if safe working vibration limits are being exceeded - and therefore at which point operations should be ceased”.

SHM may encompass the monitoring of many different physical parameters on different parts of a structure.

“For example, accelerometers measure structural response and dynamic or shock loads, inclinometers measure movement in pillars and other vertical structures, strain gauges measure stress and Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LDVTs) or crack gauges measure crack propagation amongst many others,” Mr. Bryceson adds.

The BeanAir 2.4GHz product range comprises not only dedicated sensor modules (Beandevices) to measure acceleration, inclination, temperature and humidity but also three models of wireless signal conditioner modules (process sensors) designed to accept inputs from millivolt (mV), volt and current sources.

Customers have the freedom to design a wireless sensor system based on their preferred sensor type and manufacturer.

Each Beandevice or process sensor is designed for operation using either its own internal battery pack or a mains power supply. Battery life is highly dependent on the data acquisition mode chosen by the user. Solar power options are also offered.

A typical Bestech wireless sensor network comprises one or more Beandevices or process sensors, a wireless coordinator -

With more than 15 engineers Bestec provides support from product specification, design and after sales technical support.

referred to as a Beangateway, and a PC on which the sensors set up and “BeanScape” acquisition software is loaded.

Beanair also offer Beangateways with integral 3G/4G modems for users who may wish to deploy systems in remote locations.

“Considerable cost saving can be made through the adoption of wireless sensor networks for SHM applications,” Mr. Bryceson says.

“The materials cost associated with cabling, the cost of labour necessary for installation can be considerably reduced. Removal of the system is also simple.”

In 2020, the Turcot Interchange project is expected to be complete and the success of the Bean Air products on this major infrastructure upgrade can set an example as to what these sensors could be capable of on Australian projects.

Combining more than 50 years of experience in sensors and instrumentation, Bestech has supported a wide range of sensors and data acquisition systems for industrial test and measurement applications in Australia.