Vibration Monitoring

A.F. Howland Associates are now please to offer vibration monitoring as one of our core services.

Vibration monitoring is a useful tool in mitigating the risk of damage to structures due to activities that are known to produce ground borne vibrations. Such activities include, but are not limited to:

Using the Omnidots Swarm Vibration Monitor an AFHA technician can attend any given site, and position the vibration monitoring equipment in the appropriately agreed locations. Once installed the monitors will simultaneously and continuously monitor tri-axial PPV & VDV measurements in accordance with UK measurement standards (BS5228-2, BS7385-2 & BS6472-1). The units are 4G and Wi-Fi enabled and provide GPS and time synchronisation to enable offsite remote monitoring once installed.

The vibration monitoring equipment will be pre-set with an Amber and Red alarm limits. If a pre-set alarm is breached the unit emails the amplitude and frequency of the vibration to the AFHA offices. Any alarms are reported to the site manager or nominated person via text message, email or phone enabling the site personnel to cease works immediately to avoid vibration related damage to a given sensitive structure.

As best practice AFHA recommends that a background vibration survey for a duration of one week is undertaken prior to the main monitoring period so that the background vibration levels can be established and taken into consideration for the planning of the main monitoring period.

AFHA will provide weekly reports of the vibration data collected for the duration of the monitoring period. The weekly reports detail the peak component particle velocity in mm/s-1 (PPV) values as well as the frequency in Hz.

On completion of the site works AFHA will remove the monitoring equipment and produce a report that compares the vibration levels recorded to the vibration levels set out in British Standard BS 7385: Part 2: 1993 'Evaluation and measurement for vibration in buildings Part 2, in order to determine whether the vibrations recorded are likely to have caused any cosmetic damage to the structure in question.

For more information or a quotation please contact either Karl Blanke in our Sudbury office on 01787 372690 or Andrew Barks in our Norwich office on 01603 250754.