Title: An overview of applications of renewable energy methods in the development of structural health monitoring systems

Authors: Faisal Siddiqui; Paul Sargent; Nashwan Dawood; Sergio Rodriguez-Trejo

Addresses: School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, UK ' School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, UK ' School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, UK ' School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, UK

Abstract: Structural health monitoring is an efficient method for monitoring and scheduling maintenance of civil engineering infrastructure when exposed to various types of loadings. Advances in innovative technologies such as low power wireless sensor networks have further improved the efficiency and versatility of SHM systems. Moreover, harvesting energy from ambient and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, structural thermal gradient and vibration, have addressed the issue of the limited life span of batteries powering these sensors. Over the years, the scope of different harvesting mechanisms has been extended from a sensors' power source to sensing structural anomalies. This paper reviews the scope of different energy harvesting technologies in improving the robustness and efficiency of a structural health monitoring system.

Keywords: structural health monitoring; SHM; energy harvesting; renewable energy; ambient energy; civil engineering infrastructure; CEI; long-term monitoring; sensors; smart infrastructure; smart aggregate; battery-free sensors; energy efficiency; damage detection; data analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDE.2020.113062

International Journal of Design Engineering, 2020 Vol.9 No.2, pp.101 - 130

Received: 04 Dec 2019
Accepted: 18 Sep 2020
Published online: 16 Feb 2021 *

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