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 - 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 - 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 -