Wireless MEMS-Based Accelerometer Sensor Boards for Structural Vibration Monitoring: A Review

Abstract

Monitoring and analysing the integrity of structures and machinery is important for economic, operational, and mission critical reasons. In recent years, there has been growing interest in performing structural health monitoring (SHM) by monitoring structural dynamic response via micro electro-mechanical system accelerometers. In addition, the possibility of embedding these devices within a wireless sensor network and allowing measured data to be wirelessly transmitted has contributed to the development of many new applications not possible just a few years ago. These sensors, for use in SHM applications, need to detect low-amplitude and low frequency vibrations, operations which are not always feasible with the conventional low-cost sensor boards. Since the late 1990s, several accelerometer board prototypes have been proposed for achieving accurate vibration monitoring. This paper presents a summary review of the systems developed in the ten years following 2006 with particular emphasis on the sensing characteristics, performances, and applications of the designed sensor boards for microvibration detection and analysis.