Wireless sensor networks for structure health monitoring: recent advances and future research directions

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary look at the current state-of-the-art in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for structure health monitoring (SHM) applications and discuss the still-open research issues in this field and, hence, to make the decision-making process more effective and direct. Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents a comprehensive review of WSNs for SHM. It also introduces research challenges, opportunities, existing and potential applications. Network architecture and the state-of-the-art wireless sensor communication technologies and standards are explained. Hardware and software of the existing systems are also clarified. Findings - Existing applications and systems are presented along with their advantages and disadvantages. A comparison landscape and open research issues are also presented. Originality/value - The paper presents a comprehensive and recent review of WSN systems for SHM applications along with open research issues.