Multi-scale Smart Sensing for Monitoring Civil Infrastructure

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The ability to continuously monitor the integrity of our nations civil infrastructure in real-time can reduce maintenance and inspection costs, while providing for increased safety to the public. Middleware services and tools can provide a fundamental foundation and a crucial technology for full-scale implementation of SHM strategies that can exploit the opportunities offered by smart sensing systems. The focus of this investigation will be placed on developing an integrated middleware services-based system that can utilize information sensed at multiple scales for structural condition assessment. To ground this research, the latest generation of embedded computers from Intel, the Imote2, will provide the platform employed. The comprehensive research plan has four primary tasks: (i) develop an integrated sensor board with multi-scale sensors for the Imote2 platform; (ii) conceptualize, develop, and implement software services and tools framework for civil infrastructure systems using the Imote2 platform; (iii) develop new SHM algorithms that can be executed in the smart sensors distributed computing environment; and (iv) prototype and test developed hardware and software in both laboratory and field environments. Successful completion of the proposed research tasks will make substantial strides toward realizing the practical implementation of dense arrays of smart sensors for protection of civil infrastructure.