Ruben Boroschek

Structural Health Monitoring for Informed Decision-Making: Practical Insights

Monitoring is a valuable tool for stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the state of health of an existing structure. Often, evaluating a structure is challenging when a complete or rapid inspection is not feasible, such as when access is limited to a visual walkthrough.

For instance, if a steel roof, fully covered by non-structural components, shows signs of stress like deformation or corrosion, what should be done? Should the area be evacuated or its use discontinued immediately? Should the removal of necessary non-structural elements be requested to facilitate a visual inspection of the structural components? Should access to difficult areas be arranged? Is an initial inspection sufficient to make a decision? Can monitoring help track the progression of key structural features over time? Do we have enough time to take all these steps?

While monitoring is not a universal solution to structural health concerns, it can be a crucial factor in decision-making. In this discussion, we will present examples from our experience and explore, from a practical perspective, the tools available to us and how they can meet the needs of users and owners.