CrackFirst™

A new sensor to assist structural health monitoring

CrackFirst™ is a sensor specifically for welded steel structures that is capable of providing advanced warning of the rate at which the design life is being consumed. Unlike a typical strain gauge which monitors the amount of strain at the point were it is attached to the structure, CrackFirst™ senses the actual amount of fatigue damage it has suffered. It can be used on any welded steel construction which sees cyclic loading, such as ships; off-highway vehicles; bridges; cranes and offshore structures. The principal advantage of the sensor is that it provides valuable information on the rate at which the fatigue design life is being expended, and can therefore be used to set inspection intervals according to usage rather than elapsed time.

Member: Strainstall UK Ltd