Excellence in Research - Faculty of Construction and Environment

Technology Transfer
Structural Health Monitoring Technology for Large-Scale Structures
A team led by Prof. Yiqing Ni and Dr Yong Xia of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at The Hong
Kong Polytechnic University has devised a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system aimed at life-cycle structural
monitoring, control, maintenance and management of large-scale structures.
The SHM system is a package of technologies from different disciplines. It is based on modular architecture and
is typically composed of six modules, namely Sensory System, Data Acquisition and Transmission System, Data
Processing and Controlling System, Structural Health Data Management System, Structural Health Evaluation
System, and Inspection and Maintenance System.
The SHM technology enables the identification of any structural damage at the earliest possible stage in order to
avoid catastrophic structural failure. It also enables the assessment of structural health immediately after a major
natural or man-made hazardous event. Not only does the system give structure owners knowledge of what and
where the most severe damage is, and when and how rehabilitation and repairs are to be processed, it also tells
whether immediate evacuation of the occupants and contents of the structure is necessary.
The team has undertaken more than 20 consultancy and contract research projects on the service and development
of SHM systems in Hong Kong, mainland China and other Asian countries and regions, totalling over $25 million
Hong Kong dollars in consultancy fees. Recent projects include the development of a structural health monitoring
system for the Guangzhou New TV Tower, the world’s tallest TV tower; and designing a long-term structural health
monitoring system for the Sutong Bridge, the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge.
Furthermore, the team has taken the Guangzhou New TV Tower consultancy project as a test bed in order to
develop a structural health monitoring benchmark problem for high-rise structures under the auspices of the Asian-
Pacific Network of Centres for Research in Smart Structures Technology (ANCRiSST) and the International Society
for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure (ISHMII). This benchmark problem aims to provide an
international platform for researchers in this field to compare various SHM algorithms and methods. In addition,
it will also direct and focus the future research of SHM, narrow the gap between research and application, and
encourage international collaborations in the SHM community.
The team received the Most Valuable Consultancy Project Award of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2006,
and the “Mega-Structure Diagnostic and Prognostic System” received a Gold Medal and a Grand Prize at the 37th
International Exhibition of Inventions, Geneva (2009), and a Golden Prize at the 11th China International Industry
Fair, Shanghai (2009).
The team leader, Prof. Ni, was appointed by the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent
Infrastructure (ISHMII) to be a member of the Standing Committee on International SHM Guidelines, which is
responsible for the development of international guidelines for the design and implementation of structural health
monitoring systems for long-span bridges. He was also appointed to be a member of the International Scientific
Committee on Rotating Towers – an unparalleled and surreal skyscraper to be built in Dubai. The Committee is
devoted to two core aspects of this revolutionary architecture: structural safety and structural monitoring.
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