TY - CONF A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph T1 - Embedded wireless sensor systems for long-term SHM and corrosion detection in concrete components N2 - State-of-the-art communication standards like RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy enable the development of sensor systems which can be completely embedded into concrete components for long-term SHM and early damage detection. Objective of the project KonSens which is carried out at BAM is the development, implementation, and validation of sensors for measuring of Parameters relevant for corrosion, like moisture, pH value, and electrical conductivity, inside steel reinforced concrete components. The primarily addressed application is detection and evaluation of corrosion processes in concrete bridges. In contrast to cable connected sensors, embedded wireless sensors avoid any pathways for Intrusion of moisture and chemicals, e.g., chlorides which could trigger corrosion activity. To allow for long-term, ideally life-time operation, the once embedded sensor systems must work highly energy efficient. One option are passive RFID sensor systems, which work without battery. The energy is transmitted to the system through the electromagnetic field, even to operate sensors. A crucial parameter is the transmission depth in concrete. First experiments with RFID sensors working at frequencies of 13.56 MHz (HF) and 868 MHz (UHF)embedded in concrete specimen resulted positive for transmission depths of up to 13 cm, which is quite promising, considering that corrosion would appear first at the top level of rebars. A second generation of passive RFID sensor systems has been implemented with improved antenna design. Current experiments using these systems focus on the transmission characteristics in terms of transmission depths and the impact of concrete moisture. Low-energy humidity sensors are used and analysed regarding their capability for measuring the material moisture. Additionally, a relation between transmitted power to the embedded sensor and the moisture content of the concrete specimen caused by energy absorption can be presumed and is under systematic investigation. T2 - Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure Conference 2017 CY - Brisbane, Australia DA - 05.12.2017 KW - RFID sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-43491 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Müller, Maximilian A1 - Mieller, Björn T1 - RFID sensor systems embedded in concrete – validation experiments for long-term monitoring N2 - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important part of buildings surveillance and maintenance to detect material failure as early as possible and to contribute in protection of structures and their users. The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor systems without cable connection and battery into building components offers innovative possibilities to enable long-term in-situ SHM of addressed structures, bridges. The objectives of the presented study are complete embedding of RFID sensors systems in concrete, full passive communication with the systems, at best for the whole life span of structures. One challenge for this task is the highly alkaline environment in concrete, which requires non-degrading and robust encapsulation. Further Requirements are passive communication and energy supply, appropriate antenna design, placement and fixation in concrete, and the selection and implementation of sensors and connections. The concept is to develop and optimize a simple and robust system, which meets the requirements, as well as comprehensive validation in concrete specimen and real world applications. Two different systems were developed (HF and UHF RFID, respectively). First tasks were the implementation of analog sensors using the superposition principle for the signal adaption. Investigation of suitable materials for robust encapsulation and sensor protection against basic environments. Four materials were investigated in pH 13 solution for 14 days - 3D-Printer-Polymer was completely resolved - PVC has no noticeable decrease in weight - (VitaPro) glass filter for the sensor protector, has weight loss 2.7 % - The epoxy resin has increased by 1.8 % due to moisture expansion Different concrete samples were prepared for the validation of the systems. RFID sensors were embedded in different integration depths. Investigate the energy- and data transfer through concrete, also with varying moisture content. Additionally, signal strength data was used to optimize and validate the antenna characteristics in concrete. Next steps are to guarantee a sufficient energy supply for UHF RFID systems embedded in different concrete mixtures and further embedding the HF and UHF RFID systems in real bridges and buildings to validate the long term monitoring. T2 - DGZfP-Jahrestagung 2017 CY - Koblenz, Germany DA - 22.05.2017 KW - RFID sensors KW - Long-term requirements KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Passive RFID KW - Sensor requirements KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-40348 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph ED - Chan, T. ED - Mahini, S, T1 - Embedded wireless sensor systems for long-term SHM and corrosion detection in concrete components N2 - State-of-the-art communication standards like RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy enable the development of sensor systems which can be completely embedded into concrete components for long-term SHM and early damage detection. Objective of the project KonSens which is carried out at BAM is the development, implementation, and validation of sensors for measuring of Parameters relevant for corrosion, like moisture, pH value, and electrical conductivity, inside steel reinforced concrete components. The primarily addressed application is detection and evaluation of corrosion processes in concrete bridges. In contrast to cable connected sensors, embedded wireless sensors avoid any pathways for intrusion of moisture and chemicals, e.g., chlorides which could trigger corrosion activity. To allow for long-term, ideally life-time operation, the once embedded sensor systems must work highly energy efficient. One option are passive RFID sensor systems, which work without battery. The energy is transmitted to the system through the electromagnetic field, even to operate sensors. A crucial parameter is the transmission depth in concrete. First experiments with RFID sensors working at frequencies of 13.56 MHz (HF) and 868 MHz (UHF) embedded in concrete specimen resulted positive for transmission depths of up to 13 cm, which is quite promising, considering that corrosion would appear first at the top level of rebars. A second generation of passive RFID sensor systems has been implemented with improved antenna design. Current experiments using these systems focus on the Transmission characteristics in terms of transmission depths and the impact of concrete moisture. Low-energy humidity sensors are used and analysed regarding their capability for measuring the material moisture. Additionally, a relation between transmitted power to the embedded sensor and the moisture content of the concrete specimen caused by energy absorption can be presumed and is under systematic investigation. T2 - International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure 2017 CY - Brisbane, Australia DA - 05.12.2017 KW - RFID sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures PY - 2017 SN - 978-1-925553-05-5 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-43492 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Wu, Cheng-Chieh A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph T1 - KonSens - RFID embedded² systems in concrete – validation experiments N2 - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important part of buildings surveillance and maintenance to detect material failure as early as possible and to contribute in protection of structures and their users. The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor systems without cable connection and battery into building components offers innovative possibilities to enable long-term in-situ SHM of addressed structures, bridges. The objectives of the presented study are complete embedding of RFID sensors systems in concrete, full passive communication with the systems, at best for the whole life span of structures. One challenge for this task is the highly alkaline environment in concrete, which requires non-degrading and robust encapsulation. Further Requirements are passive communication and energy supply, appropriate antenna design, placement and fixation in concrete, and the selection and implementation of sensors and connections. The concept is to develop and optimize a simple and robust system, which meets the requirements, as well as comprehensive validation in concrete specimen and real world applications. Two different systems were developed (HF and UHF RFID, respectively). First tasks were the implementation of analog sensors using the superposition principle for the signal adaption. Investigation of suitable materials for robust encapsulation and sensor protection against basic environments. Four materials were investigated in pH 13 solution for 14 days - 3D-Printer-Polymer was completely resolved - PVC has no noticeable decrease in weight - (VitaPro) glass filter for the sensor protector, has weight loss 2.7 % - The epoxy resin has increased by 1.8 % due to moisture expansion Different concrete samples were prepared for the validation of the systems. RFID sensors were embedded in different integration depths. Investigate the energy- and data transfer through concrete, also with varying moisture content. Additionally, signal strength data was used to optimize and validate the antenna characteristics in concrete. Next steps are to guarantee a sufficient energy supply for UHF RFID systems embedded in different concrete mixtures and further embedding the HF and UHF RFID systems in real bridges and buildings to validate the long term monitoring. T2 - 5th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures (SMAR 2019) CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 27.08.2019 KW - Passive RFID KW - RFID sensors KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures KW - Structural health monitoring PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48790 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias ED - Cosmi, Francesca T1 - RFID sensor system embedded in concrete –validation of UHF antenna geometries in different concrete depths N2 - This paper is a further research on the topic of the complete embedding of radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors in concrete. The focus is on the antenna of the transponder. Earlier investigations of different RFID technologies, embedded in concrete, showed a difference in energy transmission. The transmission through concrete at ultra high frequency (UHF), in spite of the large signal range, does not match the targeted application specific task. Therefore, the antenna characteristics have been examined more closely. The antenna is an important component for the application of RFID. Through the antenna, energy and data transfer takes place, so it is important to design an optimal antenna to accomplish a maximum embedding depths in concrete. To identify the optimal antenna geometry, different UHF antenna types were selected and investigated. An experimental comparison was performed to gain more information about the damping behavior and antenna characteristics in concrete. T2 - 34th Danubia-Adria Symposium on Advances in Experimental Mechanics CY - Trieste, Italy DA - 19.09.2017 KW - RFID sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Passive RFID KW - UHF antenna KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures PY - 2017 SN - 978-88-8303-863-1 SP - 114 EP - 115 CY - Trieste AN - OPUS4-42093 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Müller, Maximilian A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - RFID sensor systems embedded in concrete – validation experiments for long-term monitoring N2 - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important part of buildings surveillance and maintenance to detect material failure as early as possible and to contribute in protection of structures and their users. The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor systems without cable connection and battery into building components offers innovative possibilities to enable long-term in-situ SHM of addressed structures, bridges. The objectives of the presented study are complete embedding of RFID sensors systems in concrete, full passive communication with the systems, at best for the whole life span of structures. One challenge for this task is the highly alkaline environment in concrete, which requires non-degrading and robust encapsulation. Further Requirements are passive communication and energy supply, appropriate antenna design, placement and fixation in concrete, and the selection and implementation of sensors and connections. The concept is to develop and optimize a simple and robust system, which meets the requirements, as well as comprehensive validation in concrete specimen and real world applications. Two different systems were developed (HF and UHF RFID, respectively). First tasks were the implementation of analog sensors using the superposition principle for the signal adaption. Investigation of suitable materials for robust encapsulation and sensor protection against basic environments. Four materials were investigated in pH 13 solution for 14 days - 3D-Printer-Polymer was completely resolved - PVC has no noticeable decrease in weight - (VitaPro) glass filter for the sensor protector, has weight loss 2.7 % - The epoxy resin has increased by 1.8 % due to moisture expansion Different concrete samples were prepared for the validation of the systems. RFID sensors were embedded in different integration depths. Investigate the energy- and data transfer through concrete, also with varying moisture content. Additionally, signal strength data was used to optimize and validate the antenna characteristics in concrete. Next steps are to guarantee a sufficient energy supply for UHF RFID systems embedded in different concrete mixtures and further embedding the HF and UHF RFID systems in real bridges and buildings to validate the long term monitoring. T2 - DGZfP-Jahrestagung 2017 CY - Koblenz, Germany DA - 22.05.2017 KW - Smart structures KW - RFID sensors KW - Long-term requirements KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Passive RFID KW - Sensor requirements KW - Sensors in concrete PY - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-403496 UR - https://www.ndt.net/?id=21499 SN - 1435-4934 VL - 22 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - NDT.net CY - Kirchwald AN - OPUS4-40349 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Müller, Maximilian A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias ED - Emri, I. T1 - RFID sensor systems embedded in concrete – requirements for long–term operation N2 - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important topic for Industry 4.0. More and more systems are embedded in different materials and are connected to each other. To embed sensors for a long time in concrete, an exact preparation is required. In this paper, we identify Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) as promising technology for monitoring of concrete structures. This paper present the concept for long term monitoring, defines the requirements and shows first development steps, for example, the system design, the possibilities of sensor connection, and an encapsulation for embedding in concrete. T2 - 33nd Danubia Adria Symposium on Advances in Experimental Mechanics CY - Portoroz, Slovenia DA - 20.09.2016 KW - RFID sensors KW - Long-term requirements KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Passive RFID KW - Sensor requirements KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures PY - 2017 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214785317308283 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2017.06.053 SN - 2214-7853 VL - 4 IS - 5, Part 1 SP - 5827 EP - 5832 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-41581 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Müller, Maximilian A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - RFID sensor systems embedded in concrete – Validation experiments for long-term monitoring T1 - RFID Sensorsysteme eingebettet in Beton – Validierungsexperimente zum Langzeitmonitoring N2 - Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important part of buildings surveillance and maintenance to detect material failure as early as possible and to contribute in protection of structures and their users. The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor systems without cable connection and battery into building components offers innovative possibilities to enable long-term in-situ SHM of addressed structures, bridges. The objectives of the presented study are complete embedding of RFID sensors systems in concrete, full passive communication with the systems, at best for the whole life span of structures. One challenge for this task is the highly alkaline environment in concrete, which requires non-degrading and robust encapsulation. Further Requirements are passive communication and energy supply, appropriate antenna design, placement and fixation in concrete, and the selection and implementation of sensors and connections. The concept is to develop and optimize a simple and robust system, which meets the requirements, as well as comprehensive validation in concrete specimen and real world applications. Two different systems were developed (HF and UHF RFID, respectively). First tasks were the implementation of analog sensors using the superposition principle for the signal adaption. Investigation of suitable materials for robust encapsulation and sensor protection against basic environments. Four materials were investigated in pH13 solution for 14 days - 3D-Printer-Polymer was completely resolved - PVC has no noticeable decrease in weight - (VitaPro) glass filter for the sensor protector, has weight loss 2.7% - The epoxy resin has increased by 1.8% due to moisture expansion Different concrete samples were prepared for the validation of the systems. RFID sensors were embedded in different integration depths. Investigate the energy- and data transfer through concrete, also with varying moisture content. Additionally, signal strength data was used to optimize and validate the antenna characteristics in concrete. Next steps are to guarantee a sufficient energy supply for UHF RFID systems embedded in different concrete mixtures and further embedding the HF and UHF RFID systems in real bridges and buildings to validate the long term monitoring. KW - RFID sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Sensors in concrete KW - Smart structures KW - Sensor requirements PY - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-418331 UR - http://www.ndt.net/?id=21499 SN - 1435-4934 VL - 22 IS - 9 SP - Artikel 8, 1 EP - 7 PB - NDT.net CY - Bad Breisig AN - OPUS4-41833 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Zimmek, David A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias 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 - SMAR 2019 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 27.08.2019 KW - Sensors KW - Passive RFID KW - Smart structures KW - SHT KW - Long term monitoring PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-501931 UR - https://www.ndt.net/?id=25011 SN - 1435-4934 VL - 25 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - NDT.net CY - Kirchwald AN - OPUS4-50193 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 -