Design of a Wireless Sensor for Scalable Distributed In- Network Computation in a Structural Health Monitoring System

The common deterioration of civil infrastructure systems and the threat of extreme loadings require facility managers to improve their knowledge regarding the health of the structures that they manage. A dense array of wireless sensors installed in a structure could provide ample amounts of empirical data for monitoring structural health. In addition to being a low cost alternative to traditional cable-based monitoring systems, wireless sensor networks offer a distributed computing paradigm that allows sensors to self interrogate structural response data. In this paper, improvements are made to an existing wireless sensing unit to enhance its measurement accuracy and to render it better suited for in-network data processing. In particular, the proposed wireless sensor is an improvement over previous designs since it is constructed using a compact four layer printed circuit board. Furthermore, the wireless sensor utilizes an implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless networks allowing it to participate in scalable, peer-to-peer communication that is adaptable to network changes without requiring reprogramming.