Coastal regions, particularly in the southeastern United States, are consistently confronted with the ongoing threat of hurricane-induced damage to their buildings and civil infrastructure. Consequently, there is a pressing need to concentrate efforts on the evaluation and prediction of structural integrity and reliability in such environments. This is paramount for minimizing losses and enhancing public safety in the face of these challenging climatic conditions. Current structural health monitoring systems are typically customized for specific buildings, rendering them excessively expensive and impractical for residential structures. This research presents a comprehensive feasibility study for an economical yet efficient system designed to anticipate potential failures and assess the safety and reliability of residential buildings. The proposed system employs integrated piezoelectric sensors to monitor alterations in the structural and material characteristics of building components. The collected sensor data may be transmitted to a mobile application using a WiFi or Bluetooth system. To validate the functionality of this innovative system, a proof-of-concept prototype building was constructed utilizing additive manufacturing, featuring integrated piezoelectric sensors. The system underwent experimental testing under base excitation at various frequencies, revealing distinct output variations at different locations. This substantiates the feasibility of employing integrated piezoelectric sensors within structural buildings for effective structural health monitoring. The collected data will serve as a foundational resource for accurately estimating the building’s reliability in anticipation of future hurricane events.
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