Piezo-based wireless sensor network for early-age concrete strength monitoring

Concrete structures play a very important role in human society as they form the very foundation of modern infrastructure. The early-age strength of concrete structure need to be monitored to guarantee the concrete's structural status and ensure safe construction. The strength of a concrete structure increases as its water content decreases; this process lasts about 4 weeks after it is first cast. Smart aggregates, which are a pre-cast concrete block with embedded piezoceramic material, can be used to monitor this strength development process. One piece of smart aggregate is used as an actuator to generate high frequency vibration waves while the other works in the sensor mode to capture the high frequency vibrations as the wave propagates within the concrete structure. The harmonic amplitude measured by the piezoceramic sensor can then be used to calculate the concrete's strength development. In this letter, the designed wireless sensor network is used to realize the early-age concrete strength monitoring. With the wireless system, concrete strength development can be monitored automatically and remotely. Experiments were carried out and the result verified the use of piezo-based wireless sensor network for early-age concrete strength monitoring.