NeTS-NECO: A Framework for Cooperative Active Sensing in Wireless Structure Health Monitoring

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Throughout the life cycle of a civil structure, its serviceability must be assessed in a timely manner. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategies measure structural response and aim to detect, locate, and assess damage produced by severe loading events and environmental deterioration. At the University of Houston, prototype piezoceramics-based smart aggregates (SA) have been designed for concrete structures. Inherited from the property of a PZT, the SA has the unique feature that it can function both as a sensor and an actuator. As an actuator, an SA excites elastic stress waves to propagate through the concrete structure, which can be detected by sensors. Distributed active sensing exhibit different sensing and energy characteristics compared to passive sensing and stand-alone active sensing systems. The goal of this project is the development of a scalable framework and efficient algorithms for cooperative active sensing in wireless SHM systems. The specific objectives are to i) investigate coverage models for active sensing under realistic domain-specific constraints; ii) develop a holistic energy-efficient solution to cooperative active sensing and processing iii) develop, implement and evaluate distributed active sensing solutions for SHMs using PZTs and off-the-shelf wireless components. This work will generate broader impact by closing up the gap between the practices of civil engineering and embedded sensor network community by joining expertise of researchers in both areas to enhance the safety of civil infrastructures of national interest. The interdisciplinary nature of this research lends naturally to a combined engineering and science curriculum development at both undergrad and graduate levels.