SCMCES - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Solutions
✤ Protecting sensitive infrastructure. ✤ Extending service life. ✤
Structural Measurement & SHM (Sensor-based)
- Recommend instrumentation scheme for Structural health monitoring
- Monitoring and measurement of structural and ambient parameters using sensor technology
- Load testing (static and dynamic)
- Short term & long term monitoring
- Site specific live load estimation
- Behavioral testing Bridge evaluation and rating Field testing / strain gauging to determine site and structure specific stress cycle information
- Assessment of fatigue damage
- Remaining life estimation.
- Analytical structural assessment including finite element analysis
- Training on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) application to civil infrastructure
Operational Modal Analysis (OMA)
Where controlled excitation is difficult, OMA uses ambient/operational vibrations to estimate modal parameters (natural frequencies, mode shapes, damping) and track changes for condition assessment.
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Services
SCMCES provides advanced Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) services to help asset owners, consultants, and authorities monitor, assess, and extend the service life of civil infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, industrial structures, and critical facilities.
Our SHM solutions combine sensor technology, field testing, data analytics, and engineering judgment to deliver reliable, decision-oriented insights—not just raw data.
Why Structural Health Monitoring Is Essential
Civil infrastructure is increasingly subjected to:
- Aging and material degradation
- Heavy traffic and changing live loads
- Machine-induced and environmental vibrations
- Seismic activity and extreme weather
Structural Health Monitoring enables early detection of performance issues, reduction of unexpected failures, and optimization of maintenance and rehabilitation strategies—making it a critical tool for modern infrastructure management.
Our Structural Health Monitoring Solutions
Bridge Monitoring Services
We offer Bridge Structural Health Monitoring solutions for:
- Highway and railway bridges
- Metro viaducts and flyovers
- Long-span and critical bridges
Bridge monitoring services include:
- Dynamic response and vibration monitoring
- Strain measurement and stress cycle evaluation
- Static and dynamic load testing
- Fatigue damage assessment
- Remaining service life estimation
- Bridge evaluation and performance rating
Building Vibration Monitoring
Building vibration monitoring is essential for structures affected by:
- Nearby construction and blasting
- Heavy machinery and turbines
- Traffic-induced vibrations
- Wind and seismic excitation
Our services include:
- Measurement of structural and floor vibrations
- Comfort and serviceability assessment
- Identification of resonance and amplification effects
- Long-term vibration trend analysis
- Recommendations for mitigation and retrofitting
Structural Monitoring Using Sensor Technology
SCMCES designs and deploys sensor-based structural monitoring systems, including:
- Accelerometers
- Strain gauges
- Displacement and tilt sensors
- Environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, wind, etc.)
Monitoring can be implemented as:
- Short-term monitoring (diagnostic studies)
- Long-term monitoring (continuous or periodic systems)
These systems complement conventional inspections and provide objective, measurable performance data.
Instrumentation Planning & SHM System Design
- Recommendation of instrumentation schemes tailored to each structure
- Selection of sensor locations based on structural behaviour
- Integration of data acquisition and communication systems
- Vendor-neutral approach to hardware and software selection
Structural Testing & Field Measurements
- Static and dynamic load testing
- Behavioural testing of bridges and buildings
- Field strain gauging for stress and fatigue evaluation
- Site-specific live load estimation based on measured response
Analytical & Numerical Structural Assessment
We integrate measured data with engineering analysis, including:
- Structural modelling and verification
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
- Correlation of analytical models with field measurements
- Performance evaluation under actual operating conditions
Fatigue, Durability & Remaining Life Assessment
We integrate measured data with engineering analysis, including:
- Fatigue damage assessment using real stress histories
- Identification of critical structural components
- Estimation of remaining service life
- Inputs for repair, strengthening, or rehabilitation decisions
Training & Capacity Building in SHM
SCMCES also provides training programs on Structural Health Monitoring, covering:
- SHM concepts and applications
- Sensor technologies and instrumentation
- Data interpretation and engineering decision-making
- Practical case studies from Indian infrastructure projects
Why Choose SCMCES for SHM Services
- Specialized expertise in Structural Health Monitoring & vibration assessment
- Experience with bridges, buildings, industrial and infrastructure projects
- Vendor-neutral, engineering-driven solutions
- Focus on actionable insights, not just data collection
- Integration of monitoring, testing, and analytical assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore Blogs & Media
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is the process of measuring,
analysing, and evaluating structural condition and performance.
SHM is important in India due to aging infrastructure, seismic risk,
and increasing traffic loads.
SHM can be implemented for bridges, flyovers, metro viaducts, buildings, industrial structures, foundations, heritage structures, and other critical infrastructure assets. Monitoring is custom-designed based on structural type and project objectives.
SHM commonly uses accelerometers for vibration, strain gauges for stress and fatigue evaluation, displacement/tilt sensors for deformation tracking, and environmental sensors such as temperature and humidity. Sensor selection depends on the structure and monitoring goal.
Short-term monitoring is a diagnostic study over days or weeks to understand structural behaviour. Long-term monitoring is continuous or periodic monitoring over months or years for trend tracking, anomaly detection, and performance management.
The primary purpose is to demonstrate a bridge's capability to safely carry its design loads through physical verification. It is commonly used to resolve uncertainties about structural capacity, assess suspect performance such as excessive deflection, confirm safety after damage or deterioration, verify handing over of new constructions, and quality-assure repair works.
Typical situations include uncertainties about current as-built conditions, suspected performance issues (for example, creep deflection), unknown structural strength from analysis alone, proposed changes to heavier loads, assessment after bomb or fire damage, identified material defects or deterioration, handing over newly built bridges, and verification of repairs or strengthening work.
The most common method uses loaded trucks, either placed in static positions or driven across the bridge. This provides sufficient load to trigger the required structural response for measurement and analysis.
Deflections are the primary response measured using sensors installed on the structure. In addition, crack widths, material strains, vibration, and temperature are often monitored to obtain a comprehensive understanding of structural behavior.
Key steps include stakeholder meetings to define objectives and acceptance criteria, site visits to understand access and logistics, preparation of a detailed instrumentation plan, visual inspections and non-destructive material testing, followed by execution of the load test with repeat trials for data validation before final reporting.
A Static Load Test involves incrementally applying load, typically using stationary trucks, until a target load or signs of structural distress are observed. The target load usually represents the desired rating load with a safety margin. This method is logistically complex, costly, and generally suitable only for ductile and redundant structures, often conducted by government bodies or research institutions.
A Dynamic Load Test uses moving loads at different speeds instead of stationary loads. It evaluates the influence of dynamic effects such as vibration and impact on the bridge response and is often carried out to supplement or validate static load test results.
A Semi-Static Load Test is a hybrid approach in which a truck crosses the bridge at a very low speed. It is widely adopted due to lower cost, minimal traffic disruption, and its non-destructive nature. Test measurements are used to calibrate analytical models, from which load-carrying capacity is derived, making it suitable for both research and consultancy applications.
The objective is to determine a safe load limit indirectly. Loads at or below rating levels are applied, and the measured responses are used to calibrate a structural model. The final load rating is then computed from the validated analytical model rather than directly from the test data.
Visual inspections are carried out before, during, and after testing to document existing defects and to identify any new cracks or distress caused by applied loads. This provides critical visual evidence to support the interpretation of measured structural behavior.