Now, Building That Alerts Of Damage In Real Time

MIT scientists are developing smart buildings that can sense ambient vibrations and monitor itself for internal signs of damage or mechanical stress in real time. The broader implication is, after an event like an earthquake, we would see immediately the changes of these features, and if and where there is damage in the system. This provides continuous monitoring and a database that would be like a health book for the building, as a function of time, much like a person’s changing blood pressure with age. The team tested its computational model on a 21 story building made in the 1960s using reinforced concrete. In 2010, researchers outfitted the building with 36 accelerometers that record vibrations and movements on selected floors, from the building’s foundation to its roof. But the model uses a lot of assumptions about the building’s material, its geometry, the thickness of its elements, etcetera, which may not correspond exactly to the structure.