Structural monitoring is an important technique to evaluate and monitor critical structures like bridges, wind turbines, ships, airplanes, etc. It can also help reduce maintenance costs and increase structural reliability.
Smart structural health monitoring allows the detection of even the most minor changes in a structure that could lead to a problem. This can help prevent a catastrophic failure and significantly decrease maintenance costs.
Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance is a data-based strategy that sends a maintenance team to perform maintenance before equipment fails or malfunctions. This technique relies on sensors, technology, and software that continuously analyze equipment performance. It can be a valuable tool in detecting damage and reducing downtime. In addition to preventing asset failures, it can save companies money on labor, materials, equipment, and maintenance planning. In the manufacturing industry, predictive maintenance has been proven to increase uptime and quality control, reduce unexpected equipment failures and improve worker safety and productivity. It has also been proven to save up to 30% on maintenance costs and reduce the need for emergency repair calls.
Detection of Damage
Structural monitoring identifies damage before it occurs by continuously recording and analyzing the data from sensors placed on various aspects of a building or machine. This helps ensure the safety of people and assets and reduces maintenance costs. Smart structural health monitoring uses intelligent sensors to detect the smallest structural changes. These are often a precursor to serious problems, so early detection is essential.
Bridges and other transportation infrastructure are susceptible to deterioration, overloading, and impact from trucks and vehicles. Hence, structural monitoring building is critical to ensure the integrity of these systems and maintain their capacity to withstand traffic and physical loads. The process of SHM starts with an operational evaluation, selecting the excitation methods, sensor types, number and locations, and the data acquisition/storage/transmittal hardware. It also involves data normalization to separate changes in sensor reading caused by damage from those due to varying operational or environmental conditions.
Preventive Maintenance
Using a maintenance program, teams perform routine tasks on equipment to maintain reliability and extend its life. These activities include inspections, cleaning, lubrication, repairs, and parts replacements.
Preventive maintenance is a strategy that manages downtime in advance, reducing unplanned breakdowns and lost production. It also ensures that teams have the resources, supplies, and equipment to complete tasks at a scheduled time. A fixed preventive maintenance schedule is a good example, ensuring that teams follow manufacturer recommendations and shut down equipment at a specified date or time. This strategy is simple to implement and can be used with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
Maintenance Planning
Structural monitoring is the ongoing measurement and analysis of factors affecting structures, such as bridges, buildings, and other constructions. It enables the detection of structural changes that may otherwise be undetected by visual inspection. A regular and planned maintenance schedule is a critical factor in maintaining the functional value of a structure concerning its present age, usage, and working conditions. It helps avoid downtime (loss of revenue), often a primary consideration for any commercial facility. Preventive maintenance (PM) is an asset management strategy focusing on preventing equipment failure, extending service life, and increasing efficiency by minimizing downtime and high repair and replacement costs. It involves using data to develop effective maintenance schedules and correct issues before they become equipment failures.
