Laboratory validation of MEMS-based sensors for post-earthquake damage assessment image
2011
The evaluation of seismic damage is today almost exclusively based on visual inspection, as building owners are
generally reluctant to install permanent sensing systems, due to their high installation, management and maintenance
costs. To overcome this limitation, the EU-funded MEMSCON project aims to produce small size sensing nodes for
measurement of strain and acceleration, integrating Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based sensors and
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in a single package that will be attached to reinforced concrete buildings. To
reduce the impact of installation and management, data will be transmitted to a remote base station using a wireless
interface. During the project, sensor prototypes were produced by assembling pre-existing components and by
developing ex-novo miniature devices with ultra-low power consumption and sensing performance beyond that offered
by sensors available on the market. The paper outlines the device operating principles, production scheme and working
at both unit and network levels. It also reports on validation campaigns conducted in the laboratory to assess system
performance. Accelerometer sensors were tested on a reduced scale metal frame mounted on a shaking table, back to
back with reference devices, while strain sensors were embedded in both reduced and full-scale reinforced concrete
specimens undergoing increasing deformation cycles up to extensive damage and collapse. The paper assesses the
economical sustainability and performance of the sensors developed for the project and discusses their applicability to
long-term seismic monitoring.
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