Abstract:

Internet of Things (IoT) is satisfactorily applied to the perception of strains when teaching structural analysis of buildings through the application of microcontrollers to strain gauges. IoT represents one of the most relevant consequences of the technological development nowadays by the application of microcontrollers to almost all the fields of the human activity. Microcontrollers allow reading data and monitoring all kind of devices and, through the application of a logical process, switch on different actuators. Moreover, the whole amount of associated data gets uploaded to the Internet.

The process entails the development of the monitoring hardware by means of an Arduino microcontroller, the amplification of the signal, its switching from analogical to digital and a Wheatstone bridge process, in order to measure the small variation of resistance caused by strain gauges deformation.

The project is used at the teaching of Structural Analysis and some Degree Dissertations with reasonable success. It is applied to a scaled cantilevered steel plate with cross section bxh=40x3 mm in which four strain gauges are placed near the constrained end, with different configurations: full bridge, half bridge or individually.

Students show a great predisposition and ability to interact with new technology and to apprehend relevant concepts from its use. Other than the appropriate academic results, the opportunity of “feeling” stresses and strains provides students great satisfaction and improvement of their understanding of the structural performance.

Keywords:

Internet of Things, structural analysis education, strain gauges, strain gages, Arduino, microcontroller, data acquisition.