Novel sensing techniques for full-scale testing of civil structures

Performing full-scale structural testing is an important methodology for researchers and engineers in the civil engineering industry. Full scale testing helps the researchers understand civil infrastructures’ loading scenarios, behaviors, and health conditions. It helps the engineers verify, polish, and simplify the structural design and analysis theories. To conduct a full-scale structural testing, sensors are used for data acquisitions. To help structural researchers and engineers get familiar with sensing technologies and select the most effective sensors, this study reviewed and categorized new sensing techniques for full-scale structural testing applications. The researchers of this study categorized sensors used for civil-infrastructure testing into traditional contact sensors and remote sensors based upon their application methodologies, and into cabled sensors and wireless sensors based upon their data communication strategies. The detailed descriptions of wireless sensors and remote sensing techniques and their on-site full-scale applications are presented.