Aug 20 2010
Colibrys and Digitexx have declared the development of a portable Structural Health Monitoring system that is being utilized from March 2010 in a new construction in Vina del Mar, Chile. The system consists of 16 MEMS accelometers by Colibrys integrated completely over the building to measure the strength of the building during construction works.
The Portable Data Acquisition System (PDAQ) from Digitexx, used for structural health monitoring, is a comprehensive, mobile, AC or battery power operated, 16 channel monitoring system implanted throughout the building with ingrained software and hardware to monitor, record, deliver and assess the construction response. The acceleration information is supplied tenuously and locally through client software by means of the Internet. During any mishaps such as earthquake, a warning email will be generated out of the system. The system has already monitored several aftershocks.
The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute has honoured Digitexx for participating in the Earthquake Reconnaissance’s Instrumentation Team in March after the recorded 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile this February. Digitexx used PDAQ for monitoring all types of construction in Chile and the PDAQ was set up immediately and continues to operate even now. The information is examined in Chile and the U.S. by earthquake and structural engineering organizations worldwide.
Mark Sereci, the CEO of Digitexx, said that their tool is benefiting earthquake research and the wide- spread utilization of the monitoring system has created awareness about the construction of post earthquake buildings. He added that the system furnishes real-time information to the engineers for comparing their measurements of modes, damping, frequencies etc. for construction. The global access to data and analysis favours the advancements in the development of the seismic codes for buildings in future.
Sean Neylon, CEO of Colibrys, commented that Colibrys is pleased to be a contributor to the life saving system during natural calamities and the Seismic MEMS sensors integrated to the accelometers provides flexible, low current, powerful tool for monitoring the buildings. Colibrys, a global leader in the fabrication and design of seismic sensors, is helping the Chilean population to cope with the disasters, he added.
Source: http://www.colibrys.com.