A monitoring system (100) monitors displacement of a wind turbine tower and includes at least one plumb bob with an upper part and a lower part, each plumb bob being configured to be pivotally suspended at its upper part, via a suspension device, from a point above so as to attain a rest position in a rest situation, and each said plumb bob has one or more sensing surfaces (12, 12′). One or more suspension devices means (10) suspend the at least one plumb bob. Two or more sensors (14, 14′, 14″), each being configured to sense, in a specific sensing direction (16, 16′, 16″), a distance to a plumb bob, provide displacement data. At least two of the two or more sensors (14, 14′, 14″) are arranged in a sensing vicinity of a plumb bob, with at least two of the specific sensing directions (16, 16′, 16″) not being parallel to each other. The monitoring system includes a control unit (18) configured to receive the displacement data from two or more of the sensors, and a device for reporting, to an external unit (20), parameter(s) representing displacement of a wind turbine tower.

The invention relates to a device, to a system, and to a method for detecting an offset between two joined, in particular pressure joined components during operation of said components and to the use of an RFID transponder for detecting an offset between two joined, in particular pressure joined components during operation of said components. In respect of the device, there is a first element, provided for attaching to one of the components, and a second element, provided for attaching to the other of the components, wherein the first and second element are coupled and/or can be coupled to each other across a joint of the components such that an offset influences the coupling, wherein the device furthermore has a transmission unit, which is designed to transmit a state and/or a dimension of the coupling without contact.

Concrete can be one of the most durable building materials and structures made of concrete can have a long service life. Consumption is projected to reach approximately 40 billion tons in 2017. Despite this the testing of concrete at all stages of its life cycle is still in its early stages although testing for corrosion is well established. Further many of the tests today are time consuming, expensive, and provide results only after it has been poured and set. Embodiments of the invention provide concrete suppliers, construction companies, regulators, architects, and others with rapid testing and performance data regarding the cure, performance, corrosion of concrete at different points in its life cycle based upon a simple electrical tests that remove subjectivity, allow for rapid assessment, are integrable to the construction process, and provided full life cycle assessment. Wireless sensors can be embedded from initial loading through post-cure into service life.

The present invention relates to a conveying hose (100) comprising a hose body (10) for holding a conveyed material (11) to be transported and comprising a wear measuring device (13), wherein the wear measuring device (13) comprises a signal unit (17), a first electrode element (14) formed from a first metal material and a second electrode element (15) formed form a second metal material, wherein the first electrode element (14) and/or the second electrode element (15) is embedded in the hose body (10) and each of the electrode elements (14, 15) is connected to the signal unit (17), wherein the electrode elements (14, 15) form a galvanic unit for generating a voltage detectable on the signal unit (17) during simultaneous contacting of the conveyed material (11).

The method allows to monitor a composite material comprising an epoxy resin tilled with electrically conductive nanoparticles, wherein at least one electrical property i.e. impedance of the composite material is influenced by being subjected to a mechanical deformation. The method provides for inserting the composite material in an electric circuit emitting an electric signal whose value depends on the electrical property, so that, when the value of the signal overcomes a given threshold value, a warning message is delivered.

An apparatus and method wherein the apparatus comprises: a deformable substrate;a curved support structure; at least one support configured to space the curved support structure from the substrate so that when the deformable substrate is deformed the curved support structure is not deformed in the same way; and a capacitive sensor comprising a protruding electrode capacitively coupled to an overlaying electrode;wherein the protruding electrode protrudes from a side of the curved support structure.

A method of wear detection of a coated belt or rope includes connecting a wear detection unit to one or more monitoring strands and/or cords of a coated belt or rope. The coated belt or rope includes one or more baseline strands and/or cords exhibiting a first change in electrical resistance as a function of bending cycles of the belt or rope and one or more monitoring strands and/or cords exhibiting a second change in electrical resistance as a function of bending cycles of the belt or rope, greater than the first change in electrical resistance. An electrical resistance of the one or more monitoring strands and/or cords is measured via the wear detection unit. Using at least the measured electrical resistance of the one or more monitoring strands and/or cords, a wear condition of the belt or rope is determined.

A carbon nanofiber aggregate (CNFA) system and method provides self-sensing capabilities that can be used to detect strain, moisture, and temperature changes. The CNFA may include cement, aggregate, silica fume, high-range water reducer (HRWR), and/or carbon nanofibers. The metal meshes in the CNFA may be utilized to monitor the electric properties of the CNFA to detect strain, moisture, and temperature changes. The CNFA may be embedded in concrete structures to allow detection of strain, moisture, and temperature changes that may cause damage to structures. Several metal meshes may be embedded in the CNFA.

Each of a plurality electronic circuit devices fixed to a structural component of a physical structure can be scanned a first time, using a radio frequency (RF) scanner to receive, from each of the plurality of electronic circuit devices, first data indicating a first measured electrical impedance of a respective conductor connected to the electronic circuit device and an identifier assigned to the electronic circuit device. For each of the plurality of electronic circuit devices, the first data indicating the first measured electrical impedance and the identifier assigned to the electronic circuit device can be stored to a first memory. The first data indicating the first measured electrical impedance and the identifier for each of the electronic devices can form a baseline measurement of the electronic circuit devices.

A structural health monitoring system based on a shape memory polymer includes a plurality of shape memory polymer buckling beam rod components, and a signal processing and structural health state abnormity warning platform. Each shape memory polymer buckling beam rod component includes an outer frame constraint, a shape memory polymer rod, and an electric signal generating element. The electric signal generating element includes piezoelectric material layers, and the signal processing and structural health state abnormity warning platform is electrically connected to the piezoelectric material layers.