ABSTRACT
The monitoring of singular slender structures, such as viaduct piles or church towers, remains a challenge with current sensor solutions. These constructions have the particularity that many of the global processes of structural degradation are reflected in horizontal movements of their top. This work presents a computer vision sensor, called laser & video-based displacement transducer (LVBDT), capable of measuring displacements combining good accuracy, high robustness and low cost. A validation test of the device has been carried out in the south spire of the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos (Burgos, Spain), measuring the horizontal movements of its top for about a year and recording some interesting meteorological events. The results reveal that the sensor is particularly suitable for accurately recording slow, low-frequency movements, such as those due to thermal variations or structural ageing processes.
