An Intelligent Wireless System for Real-time Seismic Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure

Abstract

Traditional seismic monitoring systems for civil infrastructure using wired sensors can be prohibitive, due to onerous and expensive cabling networks. Wireless smart sensors (WSS) offer tremendous opportunity to reduce cost and realize the promise of pervasive sensing. However, seismic structural monitoring using WSS remains elusive, and main obstacles include stringent energy constraint and limited transmission bandwidth. To address the challenges, an intelligent wireless system is developed as a cost-effective solution of real-time seismic monitoring of civil infrastructure. The system consists of three main components: ultralow-power on-demand sensing prototypes, a high-throughput live streaming framework, and a MATLAB-based application for real-time damage assessment. The capabilities of the developed system are validated by a lab test, demonstrating that the system can detect seismic motions, provide high-quality synchronized data, and present damage assessment in real-time.