Structural health monitoring

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is the process of continuous or periodical monitoring of the condition and the performance of a structure over time. The goal of SHM is to detect, assess, and potentially predict any changes, damage, or deterioration that may occur within a structure. In fact, by addressing the problems early, the process prevents catastrophic failures. Thus, it is mainly used for the extension of the lifespan of structures. Various sensors and techniques to collect data on factors like strain, vibration, temperature, and more are used in SHM. This data is then analyzed to assess the structural health while engineers, researchers and maintenance staff can make informed decisions about maintenance, repair, and replacement, leading to improved safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness solutions.