Toward the development of standardized procedures for structural health monitoring

Monitoring of structural health conditions is performed using different methods that range from periodic surveys including nondestructive testing at selected locations, to permanent monitoring using network of sensors continuously recording the structural response. These procedures aim at providing detection of possible faults or deterioration processes in order to optimally manage civil structures and infrastructures over the lifecycle. To date several guidelines have been published by different countries all over the world but protocols to apply SHM are generally not defined nor enforced. This is likely to be of the reasons that stand behind the limited diffusion and implementation of SHM for routine operations of condition assessment. In this paper building the principal aspects of the SHM process are presented and the need of the development of protocols for the different phases of the SHM process, from design to practical implementation and use are outlined.