NOVEL SELF-POWERED SENSOR (NSPS) FOR INTELLIGENT STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE

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Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) plays a critical role in ensuring the safety, durability, and serviceability of civil infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, and transportation systems. Conventional monitoring systems often depend on external power supplies and wired data transmission, limiting their scalability and long-term reliability. This study introduces a Novel Self-Powered Sensor (NSPS) specifically designed for civil structures, integrating self-energy harvesting, low-power wireless communication, and intelligent sensing capabilities. The proposed system addresses the limitations of traditional SHM by enabling sustainable, long-term, and autonomous infrastructure monitoring.

System Architecture and Core Technologies

The NSPS integrates three major technological components: environmental energy harvesting, ultra-low-power wireless data transmission, and intelligent sensing modules. The energy harvesting unit captures ambient environmental energy—such as vibration, solar, or thermal energy—and converts it into usable electrical power. The low-power wireless transmission system enables large-scale deployment across infrastructure networks without extensive cabling. Intelligent sensing algorithms process structural performance data efficiently, ensuring accurate detection of stress, deformation, and environmental variations under complex operational conditions.

Energy Harvesting Optimization and Power Management

A central innovation of the NSPS lies in its self-powered functionality. By fine-tuning the sensor design, optimal energy conversion efficiency is achieved from the harvesting unit, ensuring continuous operation even under variable environmental conditions. Advanced power management strategies regulate energy storage, consumption, and transmission cycles to maintain stable performance. This optimization enables the sensor to operate over extended periods without battery replacement, significantly reducing maintenance costs and enhancing the sustainability of monitoring systems.

Wireless Communication and Large-Scale Deployment

The NSPS employs large-scale, low-power wireless data transmission protocols that facilitate real-time structural performance monitoring across extensive infrastructure networks. This approach reduces installation complexity and allows flexible sensor placement in remote or hard-to-access areas. Compared to conventional wired systems, the wireless architecture improves coverage, scalability, and data accessibility, supporting integrated monitoring platforms for smart infrastructure management.

Bridge Case Study and Monitoring Strategy Development

To validate the practicality and effectiveness of the NSPS, a case study is conducted on an operational bridge structure. A monitoring scheme is developed based on the structural principles and load-bearing characteristics of the bridge. The sensor deployment strategy considers key stress zones, dynamic load responses, and environmental exposure conditions. Field testing demonstrates the system’s reliability in real-world scenarios, confirming its ability to continuously collect and transmit high-quality data while maintaining energy autonomy.

Sustainability, Performance Evaluation, and Future Applications

When compared to traditional structural monitoring techniques, the NSPS demonstrates significant improvements in sustainability, operational efficiency, and long-term reliability. The elimination of frequent battery replacement and reduced wiring requirements contribute to lower lifecycle costs and environmental impact. This innovative self-powered monitoring solution lays a strong foundation for future advancements in intelligent transportation systems and smart infrastructure. Further research may focus on multi-energy harvesting integration, AI-based damage prediction, and large-scale implementation across diverse civil engineering applications.

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#InfrastructureSafety
#SmartBridges
#StructuralMonitoring
#IoTSensors
#EngineeringResearch
#DigitalInfrastructure
#ResilientStructures
#TransportationEngineering
#SHMTechnology
#GreenEngineering


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