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Radio Frequency Identification Tags Linked to on Board Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems in a Wireless, Remote and Intelligent Monitoring and Assessment System for Maintenance of CONstructed Facilities

PROJECTS
Funding
European
European Union
Duration
-
Status
Complete with results
Geo-spatial type
Other
Total project cost
€4 976 007
EU Contribution
€3 814 802
Project Acronym
MEMSCON
STRIA Roadmaps
Infrastructure (INF)
Transport policies
Safety/Security

Overview

Call for proposal
FP7-NMP-2007-SME-1
Link to CORDIS
Objectives

Advances in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), in lower-power wireless networking and in computation give hopes for a new generation of tiny, cheap, networked sensors that can be ‘sprayed’ on buildings to provide quantitative information on the structure’s physical state while in service. This can be used to assess the structural condition and aid decision making on retrofit, refurbishment and maintenance so that safety can be attained, and material use and costs can be reduced.

The objectives of this work are:

  1. To integrate MEMS-based sensors and a RFID tag in a single package of small size that will be attached to concrete buildings to measure acceleration and/or strain that will be transmitted to a remote base station using a wireless interface.
  2. To develop a Decision-Support-System (DSS) for proactive remedial measures under operating conditions and rehabilitation after an earthquake damage.
  3. To evaluate the system in ‘1’ and the DSS in ‘2’ in a structural laboratory.
  4. To field test an integrated package of the system in ‘1’ and the DSS in ‘2’ on an actual building.

The proposed system will be used in concrete buildings like schools where information will be sent wirelessly, to a central location (e.g. ministry of education), to be processed. It will result in lower maintenance cost, since problems are cheaper to fix when they first appear, and an increase in safety. The impact on safety will be greater after an earthquake where it is essential to have a quick estimate of the building structural condition. Moreover, it will transform the SME dominated building rehabilitation sector into an advanced knowledge sector, enhance the competitiveness of European SMEs, reduce time to assess the structural condition of a building in service and decide on remedial measures, promote sustainability, offer services with a high value added and enable the entrance of MEMS European SMEs to the large building market.

Funding

Parent Programmes
Institution Type
Public institution
Institution Name
European Commission
Type of funding
Public (EU)

Results

Wireless technology to monitor buildings

An EU-funded project successfully developed innovative, low-cost and highly reliable sensors capable of self-diagnosing and assessing optimal rehabilitation of buildings after earthquake damage.

As soon as a building is constructed, it starts to age. Buildings require safety inspections throughout their life and to evaluate their structural condition, especially after earthquakes. However, such activity can be severely hindered by the difficulty of gaining access to all relevant areas in a building while it remains in use.

Current structural monitoring systems employ conventional cables to allow sensors to communicate their measurements to a central processing unit. However, they have high installation costs and leave wires vulnerable to ambient signal noise corruption. In the EU-funded project http://www.memscon.com/ (MEMSCON) (Radio frequency identification tags linked to on board micro-electro-mechanical systems in a wireless, remote and intelligent monitoring and assessment system for maintenance of constructed facilities), scientists integrated microelectromechanical systems with a radio frequency identification tag into a single, tiny and cheap package.

The project employed acceleration and strain sensors to measure the forces as the building moves or vibrates, and to determine the strength of the construction materials. Measurement data are sent to a remote base station through a wireless interface.

Each sensor node is individually supplied by a battery. The acceleration sensors are activated only in case of seismic events and the strain sensors on a periodic basis, thus achieving low power consumption.

Along with the sensors distributed all over a building, the MEMSCON system includes a decision-support system (DSS). Accepting the sensor inputs, the system assesses the structural condition of the monitored building and selects the optimal remedy measures. The DSS includes an expert system with a user-friendly interface and knowledge bases. The end user can thus retrieve current and historical data from the knowledge bases, while examining different scenarios for hypothetical unsafe situations through real-time alerts.

MEMSCON's newly developed system enables engineers to precisely determine the structural state of a building, decreasing the time to assess the situation and decide on remedial measures. The system is not only suitable for commercial and residential buildings but could also be applied to monitoring the condition of bridges and roads.

Partners

Lead Organisation
Organisation
Institute Of Communication And Computer Systems
Address
Patission, 10682 Athens, Greece
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€324 320
Partner Organisations
Organisation
AKROPOL CHARAGKIONIS ANONYMOS ETAIREIA
Address
KAPSALI 10, 106 74 ATHINA, Greece
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€257 318
Organisation
STICHTING IMEC NEDERLAND
Address
HIGH TECH CAMPUS 31, 5656 AE EINDHOVEN, Netherlands
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€450 977
Organisation
Risa Sicherheitsanalysen Gmbh
Address
Krumme Strasse, 10627 Berlin, Germany
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€366 709
Organisation
Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum
Address
KAPELDREEF 75, 3001 LEUVEN, Belgium
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€401 924
Organisation
T.e.c.n.i.c. Tecniche E Consulenzenell'ingegneria Civile-Consulting Engineers-Spa
Address
Via Panama, 198 Roma, Italy
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€296 898
Organisation
D. Mpairaktaris Kai Synergates-Grafeion Technikon Meleton Etaireia Periorismenis Efthynis
Address
PESMATZOGLOU 17, 14561 ATHINA, Greece
EU Contribution
€243 061
Organisation
Universita Degli Studi Di Trento
Address
Via Belenzani, 38100 Trento, Italy
EU Contribution
€190 082
Organisation
MEMSCAP SA
Address
PARC TECH DES FONTAINES ZI BERNIN, 38926 CROLLES CEDEX, France
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€534 411
Organisation
SITEX 45 SRL
Address
GHICA TEI BLVD,BL.40,AP.2 DEPT.2 114, 023709 BUCHAREST, Romania
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€198 275
Organisation
CONCEPT TO VOLUME BV
Address
COLOSSEUM 20, 7521 PT ENSCHEDE, Netherlands
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€348 529
Organisation
Advanced Microwave Systems Ltd
Address
25Th Martiou St., 17778 Athens, Greece
EU Contribution
€202 298

Technologies

Technology Theme
Sensor technologies
Technology
Integrate MEMS-based sensors and a RFID tag
Development phase
Demonstration/prototyping/Pilot Production
Technology Theme
Infrastructure management
Technology
Decision-Support-System for proactive remedial measures
Development phase
Demonstration/prototyping/Pilot Production

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