Structural Health Monitoring Services

Overview

SHm.Works

Seismic monitoring systems provide critical data on building behavior during earthquakes, improve understanding of structural stability, and lead to better building codes. Additional benefits include reduced inspection time after large earthquakes since onsite visits by engineers may not be necessary when enough data are available. Our systems help satisfy common government requirements for seismic instrumentation when monitoring earthquakes in critical or large buildings.

As an example, the 2008 Los Angeles Building Code (1613.8.2) requires a minimum of three accelerographs to be deployed at a structure’s base, middle, and top and are typically placed in identical positions vertically in the building. The three instruments are required for buildings over ten stories or over six stories if the aggregate floor area is 60,000 square feet or more. Interconnected for common triggering and timing, the topmost unit provides a GPS timing signal from the roof of the structure.