A novel low-cost inclinometer sensor based on fusion technology for structural health monitoring applications

Abstract

The fundamental purpose of structural health monitoring (SHM) is to examine the accuracy of the structural health state and predict its future strength. Lately, researchers have been paying close attention to the structural damage detection process employing inclinometers. However, this technique can only be used with unique structures with a sizable Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) budget due to the high cost of inclinometers. Therefore, the use of low-cost sensors by implementing various techniques to improve their accuracy compared to high-cost precision sensors has attracted much attention for structural assessment. This paper introduces a novel, low-cost inclinometer that measures inclination by fusion technology combining gyroscopes and accelerometers. The microcontroller technology used in this gadget is an open-source Internet of Things (IoT) based platform, allowing for wireless data streaming and free commercial software for data collecting. Not only are the coding and placement issues of these sensors thoroughly explained, but detailed answers to the problems mentioned above are also provided, as well as an efficient way to assemble and prepare the sensors.