Traditional evaluation of structural soundness relies on measurements, calculations, observations and assumptions, but now engineers have a new tool that brings a far greater level of precision to the processes.
Formed in 2008, Easton, Md.-based STRAAM LLC—which stands for “structural risk assessment and management”—offers a service that records movement in any kind of structure, from buildings and bridges to cooling towers and wind turbines. Its instruments report the least tilt, but more powerfully, and yield data its analysts can use to compare the dissipation of vibrations with either the predicted behavior of the structure, given its design and materials, or with baseline measurements captured earlier. Large or changing dampening, particularly in low frequencies, can be “a symptom of things going wrong,” says Alan Jeary, chief technology officer and inventor.