Data Networking for Autonomous Fatigue Crack Detection

One of the useful applications of wireless sensor networks is structural health monitoring, where sensors are distributed to monitor buildings, bridges, large dams, and etc. Out of a large number of application domains we focus on the fatigue crack detection of a structure, e.g., bridge. In this chapter, we summarize the required components for data networking in autonomous fatigue crack detection and explore the design choices there. We first discuss the unique characteristics in delivering data stemming from autonomous fatigue crack detection such as data traffic pattern, network topology, and the necessary degree of performance metrics, e.g., energy efficiency and latency. From the data networking perspective, we present and compare the strength and weakness of various design choices in wireless sensor networks, covering multiple layers in a networking protocol stack.