Crack monitoring: monitor cracks in structures wirelessly

Continuous crack monitoring with wireless sensors: you detect crack width changes from 0.003 mm, are alerted immediately at thresholds and keep track of the condition of your structures at all times.

DIN 4150RIL 883
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Infrasolute crack sensor above a crack, with displacement transducer and millimetre scale

Your benefits

What crack monitoring delivers in operation

A crack is rarely harmless and rarely static. Continuous monitoring shows whether it is dormant or active, before it becomes a structural problem.

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Early warning instead of a damage pattern

You see how a crack develops before a hairline crack becomes a structural problem. Automatic alerting when a threshold is exceeded gives you time to react in a targeted way.

Installed without running cables

The sensors transmit via NB-IoT and can be fitted by your own team. No cabling, no scaffolding just for the measuring equipment, no recurring on-site readings.

Reusable and economical

Using the mounting plate, you remove the sensor and reinstall it at the next structure. This significantly reduces the cost per measuring point compared with permanently installed technology.

Data from anywhere

All readings flow into the cloud-based Infrasolute software. Crack width and temperature are displayed graphically, stored as history and available at any time.

Wireless crack sensor mounted on both sides of a crack

How it works

How the crack monitoring system works

Instead of spot-check visual inspection, wireless sensors record crack width continuously and automatically. You see not only that a crack has changed, but when, how quickly and in what relationship to temperature.

  1. 01

    Mounting

    The crack sensor is fixed on both sides of the crack using a mounting plate, by your own team, without special tools.

  2. 02

    Measurement

    The integrated displacement transducer records changes in crack width from 0.003 mm, plus surface and concrete temperature, at a freely selectable interval.

  3. 03

    Transmission

    Readings are sent to the cloud via Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) with low power consumption, even from remote or hard-to-reach locations.

  4. 04

    Alerting

    If the crack width exceeds the stored threshold, the system triggers an alert immediately. No waiting until the next inspection.

Simulation

The crack grows, the alert comes immediately

Concrete expands in heat and contracts in cold. A separation crack therefore becomes wider at night and in winter and narrower again during the day, without anything having changed at the structure. Only the temperature-corrected trend shows whether a crack is really growing. Start the threshold scenario and see when the alert is triggered.

Crack width Threshold 0.50 mm
Calm condition
0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 mm Day 1Day 15Day 30

Within target range

Crack width around 0.32 mm, threshold 0.50 mm

Demonstration only

Crack monitor, manual or digital

Why the digital crack monitor shows more than an on-site reading

Manual checks deliver snapshots a week apart. It is precisely in these gaps that critical changes develop unnoticed.

Analogue

Classic crack monitor

A plastic marker placed over the crack, read against a grid. Reasonable for an initial assessment, with two weaknesses.

  • Someone has to take readings on site regularly
  • Shows only the current state, not the trend
  • The moment of a sudden movement remains unknown

Digital

Digital crack monitoring

Instead of a weekly reading, the wireless sensor measures independently and reports changes automatically.

  • A continuous record instead of a snapshot
  • Crack width changes from 0.003 mm captured
  • Robust documentation for third parties

Because the sensor also measures surface and concrete temperature, the thermal expansion and contraction of the component can be factored out. Only this corrected trend reliably shows whether a crack is actually growing, and prevents false alarms.

Everything from a single source

From the monitoring concept to alerting, one point of contact

You can fit the sensors yourself or leave everything to us. On request, Infrasolute takes care of concept, installation, operation and ongoing monitoring as a complete solution, not separate parts.

  1. 01

    Concept

    We determine the right measuring points, thresholds and the suitable sensor variant for your structure.

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  2. 02

    Installation

    On request, we fit the crack sensors correctly, set up the transmission and commission everything.

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  3. 03

    Maintenance and operation

    We keep the sensors operational, check their function and take care of configuration and updates.

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  4. 04

    Monitoring and alerting

    The system observes crack development around the clock and reports any threshold exceedance immediately.

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Matching product

The crack sensor in three versions

The crack sensor comes in three versions. The measuring principle, mounting and connectivity stay the same, only the power supply differs. The choice depends on the situation at the structure.

Infrasolute crack sensor solar with an upright solar cell and mounting bracket

Crack sensor solar

Powered entirely by the integrated solar cell. For outdoor areas with sufficient daylight, without cables and without changing batteries.

Power supply Solar technology, autonomous
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Measuring point with a permanently connected evaluation unit and several displacement transducers on a hall floor

Crack sensor mains power

Connected permanently to an existing power supply instead of solar or battery.

Power supply fixed mains connection
Infrasolute crack sensor with a long-life battery, mounted on a facade above a crack

Crack sensor long-life battery

For shaded, covered or enclosed situations without daylight. Same specifications as the solar version, powered by a long-life battery.

Power supply long-life battery

Typical applications

From condition surveys to long-term monitoring

Wherever crack movement must be documented over time: for clients and neighbours, for structural inspection, and in your own structural documentation.

  • Condition surveys for construction work and excavation pits nearby
  • Cracks in bridges and civil engineering structures
  • Supplementing structural inspection to DIN 1076 between inspection dates
  • Settlement cracks on existing and commercial structures
  • Cracks in masonry on existing and heritage structures
  • Long-term monitoring after refurbishment or repair

From practice

Crack monitoring on an existing bridge

Crack monitoring on a bridge in Bonn

Crack monitoring, bridge in Bonn

After a flood, cracks appeared on the structure. Until the planned replacement is built, sensors monitor crack widths online.

Structure type
Bridge
Location
Bonn
Sensors
Crack sensors with long-life battery
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Matching industries

Where we deploy crack monitoring

Crack monitoring for Bridge monitoring

Bridge monitoring

Crack monitoring for Parking structures

Parking structures

Crack monitoring for your structure

Whether a single crack or several measuring points on a large structure, we align measuring points, thresholds and sensor variant with your task.

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Benedikt Seuss Benedikt Seuss

Data platform

All readings on one platform

The sensors transmit their readings wirelessly to the data platform, where they are evaluated, documented and continuously checked against your thresholds.

  • AI-assisted data analysis
  • User-focused reporting
  • Continuous evaluation
  • Warning and alarm thresholds
  • Alerts by email and text message
  • Remote access around the clock
More on monitoring & alerting
Monitoring platform Sample view
Reading history within limits
Warning threshold
  • AI-assisted data analysis Condition within limits
  • User-focused reporting Report ready
  • Alerting Thresholds monitored
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about crack monitoring

What distinguishes the digital crack monitor from the classic one?
The classic crack monitor is a plastic marker. It is placed over the crack and read against a grid. The crack monitor therefore shows the condition at the moment someone stands in front of it. The digital crack monitor measures itself, at a freely selectable interval, and sends the readings by radio into the software. This produces a continuous trend, and if the threshold is exceeded the system triggers an alert.
How can a crack in masonry be monitored?
The sensor is fixed on both sides of the crack using a mounting plate, which works on masonry as well as on concrete. It records the change in crack width from 0.003 mm and transmits it by radio. Permanent measurement is particularly useful on existing and heritage structures, because settlement there develops over long periods and can easily be missed with a weekly inspection.
How does crack monitoring support condition surveys?
Before construction work begins, the baseline condition is recorded, after which the measurement runs continuously. This means a value is available for every point in time, instead of two photos taken weeks apart. If a change is later claimed, it can be placed precisely in time against the trend. The condition survey itself is carried out by your expert; we deliver the continuous measurement series as the basis for it.
How does crack monitoring relate to structural inspection to DIN 1076?
Inspection to DIN 1076 assesses the structure at scheduled intervals. Crack monitoring fills the time in between with readings and reports a threshold exceedance as soon as it occurs. It does not replace the inspection; it gives the inspecting engineer a documented trend instead of a snapshot for the next inspection date, and the measurement series feeds into the structural documentation.
How are settlement cracks documented over a longer observation period?
Settlement develops over months to years, so the crack grows correspondingly slowly. The sensor measures at a freely selectable interval and also records temperature, so that temperature-related opening and closing can be separated from genuine settlement movement. The readings produce a continuous trend over the entire observation period, which can be carried over into the structural documentation.
What crack width change can crack monitoring detect?
The displacement transducer records changes in crack width from 0.003 mm. This means you also detect slow, gradual movements that would go unnoticed for months under manual inspection. The sensor additionally measures surface and concrete temperature, so that temperature-related crack movement can be separated from genuine structural change.
Is the crack sensor suitable for outdoor use?
Yes. The sensors are waterproof to IP67 and optimised for harsh outdoor environments such as bridges, dams or facades. The solar version operates fully autonomously without an external power source, and a long-life battery variant is also available. Both versions are designed for permanent outdoor monitoring.
Do I need to commission a specialist firm for crack monitoring?
No. The sensor is fixed on both sides of the crack using a mounting plate, which can be done by your own team without special tools. On request, Infrasolute assists with selecting the measuring points and configuring the thresholds, so that crack monitoring delivers robust data from the start.
Can I monitor several cracks with one system?
Yes. One sensor can be extended with up to 20 additional wired crack transducers. This lets you cover several cracks on one structure through a shared data transmission and keep all measuring points in view on a single interface.
How often does the crack monitor take a reading?
The measurement interval is freely configurable, from once a week to one measurement every three minutes. This lets you adapt the resolution to the criticality of the structure: closely spaced during an acute observation phase, more sparing during calm long-term monitoring.

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Let's talk about your structure

Tell us about your structure and the question at hand. We will get back to you shortly and work out with you which measuring points and sensors fit your task.

+49 6742 8599600 DE +41 41 670 00 11 CH info@infrasolute.com
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