Smart Screw Connection

History

2022: Technology Announcement

In early May 2022, bolts were created in Germany that can connect to the Internet and report design problems through a wireless channel. The Smart Screw Connection system used is designed to alert responsible authorities before an accident occurs on the bridge structure, wind turbine or on building forests.

Created by specialists, Fraunhofer German Cluster of Advanced Cognitive Internet Technologies the Smart Screw Connection system consists of a screw and a washer. However, a information pressure sensor made of a thin piezoresistive film called DiaForce is built into the washer, according to New Atlas. When the screw is tightened, this film detects the pre-tension force at three different separate points. If the force subsequently changes at any of these points, for example due to the weakening of the screw, then the electrical resistance of the film changes.

Smart bolts are available to notify of weak fasteners

When the electrical resistance of the film changes, it is fixed by the radio module in the screw head. This module transmits an encrypted warning signal to a nearby base station, which can be accessed remotely by maintenance personnel via the Internet. In fact, using the online portal, you can at any time check the state of each intelligent screw connection on this object without physical bypass or with the possibility of reducing it from once a month to once every six months.

{{quote 'This remote monitoring system allows us to monitor the stability of critical infrastructures for the first time at any time, even remotely, and to conduct proper verification of each screw. This is an important security advantage. When inspecting a bridge or wind turbine, the presence of an engineer on the spot and checking each screw separately is not required, since all data is transmitted by radio to the service station, "said project manager Dr. Peter Spies. }} As of May 2022, in the version of the system, all the energy necessary for the operation of the screw/washer is generated by an integrated thermoelectric generator, it uses the temperature difference between the screw head and the environment to generate electric current. However, in places where there is enough sunlight, the system can work on solar panels.^[1]

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