Comparison Between Performance of a Wireless MEMS Sensor and an ICP Sensor in Shaking Table Tests

Wireless sensors are more favorable in measuring structural response compared to conventional sensors. This is because they are easier to use with no issues with cables and are considerably cheaper. There are several applications that can be used in recording and analyzing data from MEMS sensor installed on an iPhone. The Vibration App is one of the applications used and there has not been adequate research conducted in analyzing the performance of this App. This paper analyzed the performance of the Vibration App by comparing it with the performance of an ICP sensor. Results show that natural frequency results are more accurate (error less than 5%) in comparison to the amplitude results. This means that built- in MEMS sensor in smartphones are good at estimating natural frequency of structures. In addition, it was seen that the results became more accurate at higher frequencies (5.0Hz and 10.0Hz).