Structural Health Monitoring and IoT: Opportunities and Challenges

AbstractAs structures like sky scrappers get taller and bridges are getting longer, there is a need to closely monitor the health of the structures, particularly under varying environmental effects. The traditional wire-based structural health monitoring systems that require laying down cables are costly and time-consuming. New and miniaturised sensors coupled with Internet of Things (IoT) and powerful cloud computing platforms lead to a new cost-effective approach to SHM. This paper introduces Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), its conventional approaches of Visual, Destructive and Non-Destructive evaluations. After discussing the limitations of conventional SHM approaches, Internet of Things and its components are introduced. SHM with IoT, its strengths and challenges are reviewed in light of published literature. This is evident that SHM will benefit enormously from IoT, provided technical challenges like energy consumption, scalability, data security and reliability are handled.KeywordsStructural Health Monitoring (SHM)Internet of Things (IoT)Non-destructive evaluationSafetyData security