A Flexure-Based Mobile Sensing Node for the Health Monitoring of Steel Structures

Abstract: In order to reduce the system cost and enhance the efficiency, a flexure-based mobile sensing node is developed for structural health monitoring (SHM). The mobile sensing node is a miniature robot that carries sensors and automatically navigates on a structure. In contrast to traditional robot design with rigid bodies, a compliant design is adopted for the mobile sensing node. The flexure-based compliance mechanism helps the mobile sensing node navigate on steel structures, and accurately measure structural vibrations. The performance of the mobile sensing node has been validated through laboratory experiments. Transmissibility function analysis is adopted for identifying structural damage using data collected by the mobile sensing nodes. 1. Introduction: A