TY - CONF A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Zimmek, David A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias ED - Helmerich, Rosemarie ED - Ilki, A. ED - Motavalli, M. T1 - Smart electronic helper for long-term monitoring of bridges and building structures N2 - Increasing traffic volume on the one hand and ageing infrastructure on the other hand have created many new challenges for maintenance and structural health monitoring of roads and bridges. In the past, many bridges and road structures have been neglected, often resulting in traffic congestion, road closure, and increased repair costs. This research is concerned with the development of a system to improve the challenge of maintenance and early detection of damage, particularly moisture penetration and corrosion of steel reinforced concrete components. The objective is to develop a method that will also work after 30 years and longer. Many new IoT solutions are equipped with internal energy storage elements (accumulators or batteries) which are inappropriate here, since most relevant signs of concrete degradation occur after decades, where the functioning of such elements are more than questionable. The presented technology approach uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) and enables connectivity to sensors. It offers the advantage of an passive, completely independent energy supply without any energy storage components. Since the system should be permanently embedded in concrete, it is crucial to develop a long-term stable device which is adapted to the environmental influences of the structure, e.g., long-term resistance in very alkaline environment of pH 13. In numerous experiments, the robustness of the system was tested and evaluated. Various tests with encapsulations to protect the electronics were performed, and for long-term validation different concrete specimens were instrumented with RFID-sensor-systems. Their operating time is now around two years and investigations for signs of fatigue and damage to the encapsulation and the electronics are ongoing. T2 - 5th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures (SMAR 2019) CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 27.08.2019 KW - Long term monitoring KW - Passive RFID KW - SHM KW - Sensors KW - Smart structures PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-489890 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP e.V.) AN - OPUS4-48989 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - Smart RFID Sensors Embedded in Building Structures for Early Damage Detection and Long-Term Monitoring N2 - In civil engineering, many structures are made of reinforced concrete. Most Degradation processes relevant to this material, e.g., corrosion, are related to an increased level of material moisture. Therefore, moisture monitoring in reinforced concrete is regarded as a crucial method for structural health monitoring. In this study, passive radio frequency identification (RFID)-based sensors are embedded into the concrete. They are well suited for long-term operation over decades and are well protected against harsh environmental conditions. The energy supply and the data transfer of the humidity sensors are provided by RFID. The sensor casing materials are optimised to withstand the high alkaline environment in concrete, having pH values of more than 12. Membrane materials are also investigated to identify materials capable of enabling water vapour transport from the porous cement matrix to the embedded humidity sensor. By measuring the corresponding relative humidity with embedded passive RFID-based sensors, the cement hydration is monitored for 170 days. Moreover, long-term moisture monitoring is performed for more than 1000 days. The Experiments show that embedded passive RFID-based sensors are highly suitable for long-term structural health monitoring in civil engineering. KW - RFID based sensors KW - Embedded sensors KW - Corresponding relative humidity KW - Porous building materials KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Corrosion KW - Civil engineering PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-500831 VL - 19 IS - 24 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Swiss AN - OPUS4-50083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -