Electronic Crack Monitoring – Structural Health Data Systems

Why use automated electronic crack monitoring

Proving a crack repair has been effective

Electronic Automated Crack Monitoring

There are several noteworthy advantages of using an electronic automated crack monitor over traditional static gauges (metal or plastic ). See our article on the advantages of an electronic crack monitor for a complete list.

Perhaps the most significant reason is the sustained record built over time that captures movement from hour to hour. This is valuable in providing day-to-day visibility of an active crack, or it can provide Peace of Mind that a crack is not moving. One of the most useful aspects of this characteristic is the ability to see crack movement before and after repair.

Typically, after a disturbing crack is noted, a period of questioning ensues that covers a range of areas including: is this crack growing; how much is it moving; do I need to do something; and so on. Perhaps the most helpful information is a reliable understanding of precise movement. The following project provides a helpful example of the confidence and documented record available with electronic monitoring.

In this project using tilt wall panels, several panels showed some indication of movement, but one crack was especially serious (see photo below). After monitoring the crack movement for a couple months, it was determined that a specific section of wall foundation required stabilization. In this case the wall moved 10 centimeters in two months and showed no signs of stopping.

Precision Measuring

The 1200 hourly readings taken over two months provided a clean, accurate curve of this progression (see chart below). To be fair, this information can be developed (albeit roughly) with a standard analog crack gauge, but you only get as many readings as visits to the site. In eight weekly visits after installation, there will be eight measurements. With an automated electronic monitor such as the Movement Monitor, one visit for installation would yield over 1200 individual hourly readings which can be tracked and download wherever there is Internet access. Furthermore, these measurements are in 2 mm increments.

Bottom Line:

While there are many advantages that come with electronic crack monitoring, we always come back to a bedrock principle:

Robust, accurate data that provides confidence and peace of mind in understanding what is moving