Research Details

Coastal infrastructure—such as seawalls, breakwaters, piers, and revetments—plays a crucial role in protecting shorelines from erosion, mitigating flood risks, and supporting economic activities in coastal zones. However, these structures are persistently exposed to dynamic and often unpredictable wave forces, especially under extreme weather conditions driven by climate change. Accurate assessment of hydrodynamic forces is essential for designing resilient structures, improving maintenance strategies, and ensuring public safety.

Traditional methods for evaluating wave-induced forces often rely on laboratory-scale models or post-damage assessments, which may not capture the real-time complexity and variability of wave impacts. In contrast, recent advances in sensor technology and data acquisition systems offer new opportunities for in situ monitoring. By embedding sensors directly into coastal structures, it becomes possible to measure wave impact loads in real time with high temporal and spatial resolution.

Embedded sensor technology has already demonstrated its potential in various environmental monitoring applications, including oceanography, marine biology, and coastal. The integration of load cells and microcontrollers in coastal monitoring systems has shown promising results in quantifying wave forces, providing data that can help engineers design more resilient structures and mitigate the effects of wave-induced. Additionally, this approach enhances our understanding of hydrodynamic interactions between waves and infrastructure, which is essential for improving disaster preparedness in coastal zones prone to storm surges and tsunamis.

The aim of this project is to develop a low-cost, real-time monitoring system that can measure wave impact forces on coastal structures using embedded sensors (load cells and HX711 amplifiers) interfaced with an Arduino-based data acquisition system. By assessing the hydrodynamic forces, this project will contribute to better management and protection of coastal infrastructures and provide valuable data for future coastal engineering designs.