strokedmaro
New Member
Hello again...I was offered the opportunity to design an early warning system for one of the buildings I work at. The building is used to store aircraft cargo and is several thousand square feet. The problem is the building is a steel type structure with limited supports inside (majority of the interior is open with no walls) and possibly prone to collapse due to excessive weight of snow on the roof. I was asked if I could come up with a way to measure the weight of the snow per square meter of roof and either display it remotely to the inside where a controller would sit or simply have an audible alarm go off when the weight was "x" amount. I think just an alarm is too easy and will use either a PIC controlled GLCD or LCD to display along with an audible alarm.
The question is whats a good way to accurately find the weight per square meter. A simple way would be to make a 1 square meter pan on the roof to collect the snow, attach it to some kind of scale to it (sensor of some kind) and have the PIC look for some value. Im being vague with values as I dont know what the weight per square meter is supposed to be...have to find out.
I was also told there are a few areas which have columns on the floor that dont quite go to the ceiling on the inside. Don't ask me why I haven't looked myself. Supposedly these areas have a gap of several inches where a pressure sensor could possible be attached to the top of the column and rest on the inside of the roof.
What sensors to you guys think would work best for this application? Any ideas welcome! THANKS!!!
Strokedmaro
The question is whats a good way to accurately find the weight per square meter. A simple way would be to make a 1 square meter pan on the roof to collect the snow, attach it to some kind of scale to it (sensor of some kind) and have the PIC look for some value. Im being vague with values as I dont know what the weight per square meter is supposed to be...have to find out.
I was also told there are a few areas which have columns on the floor that dont quite go to the ceiling on the inside. Don't ask me why I haven't looked myself. Supposedly these areas have a gap of several inches where a pressure sensor could possible be attached to the top of the column and rest on the inside of the roof.
What sensors to you guys think would work best for this application? Any ideas welcome! THANKS!!!
Strokedmaro