PC-based data-acquisition system for structural monitoring

While personal-computer-based data-acquisition systems have become commonplace in the laboratory environment over the past several years, their use as remote, automatically triggered data-collection systems has been somewhat limited in comparison to that of off-the-shelf, dedicated systems. This is somewhat surprising given the versatility and reliability of the devices now available. This paper describes the design, development and implementation of a personal-computer-based system for use in such a remote data-collection application. The system developed is reliable, versatile, cost-effective, and meets all the demands placed on such a system. The system is currently being installed in a 305-m television transmission tower in Shenyang, the People’s Republic of China, for the monitoring of wind and wind-induced structural motions over a two-year period.