Field measurement system based on a wireless sensor network for the wind load on spatial structures: Design, experimental, and field validation

A field measurement system for wind load based on a wireless sensor network was developed for large-span roofs. The system achieves large-area, long-duration, synchronous data acquisition at a relatively high sampling rate. The custom wind pressure sensor was validated in a wind tunnel with an internal pressure test. The sensor matched the wind tunnel equipment well for both uniform and turbulent flows. The synchronization performance of the wireless system was evaluated with a custom device. The synchronization accuracy of the system was close to the accuracy of the electronic scanning valve in the wind tunnel. This system was validated on a roof with a span of 280m. Continuous stable data acquisition from 48 nodes was achieved. The measurement system captured the wind pressure characteristics well, and the result was reasonable. The pressure results provide some useful conclusions, but more field measurements on roofing systems are required to obtain more reliable conclusions.