Wireless Sensor Networks for Crack Displacment Measurement

摘要

Miniaturized, wireless instrumentation is now a reality and this thesis describes development of such a system to monitor crack response. Comparison of environmental (long-term) and blast-induced (dynamic) crack width changes in residential structures has lead to a new approach to monitoring and controlling construction vibrations. In wireless systems transducer power requirements and continuous surveillance challenge available battery power, which declines with decreasing size of the system. Combining low power consumption potentiometer displacement transducers with a short communication duty cycle allow the system described herein to operate for many months with changing its AA size batteries. The system described won third place honors in the 2005 Crossbow Smart Dust Challenge, which represented the best executable ideas for wireless sensor networks that demonstrate how it is used, programmed and deployed to positively impact society.