TY - CONF A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Stührenberg, Jan A1 - Tandon, Aditya A1 - Dragos, Kosmas A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Smarsly, Kay T1 - Investigation of long-term embedded RFID sensors for structural health monitoring N2 - Ensuring the health of civil engineering structures is crucial for the safety and longevity of the built environment. In this direction, structural health monitoring (SHM) has been increasingly employed, providing insight into the structural behavior, based on sensor data representing structural responses. This paper investigates the plausibility of embedding sensors into concrete structures for SHM, leveraging radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, in an attempt to enable the passive operation of sensors without continuous power supply and to reduce potential sources of interference. In contrast to conventional SHM sensors, the uninterrupted operation of embedded sensors must be ensured because post-installation interventions are either impractical or impossible. RFID technology enables wireless data acquisition and energy transmission without mechanical impact on civil engineering structures, although it may be challenging when RFID sensors are embedded in concrete. This study presents a durable passive embedded RFID sensor system (i.e., a system without batteries), including the selection of components, such as housing and cable materials, suitable for withstanding the aggressive environment of concrete without damaging the sensitive electronics or contaminating the data recorded by the sensors. The proposed sensor system is validated in laboratory tests, the results of which provide insights into the influence of each component and are intended to advance the implementation of embedded sensor systems. T2 - IEEE Sensors 2024 CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 20.10.2024 KW - Structural health monitoring KW - RFID-based sensors KW - Smart sensors KW - Embedded sensors PY - 2024 SN - 979-8-3503-6351-7 DO - https://doi.org/10.1109/SENSORS60989.2024.10785220 SP - 1 EP - 4 AN - OPUS4-62162 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bartelmeß, Jürgen A1 - Zimmek, David A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Schäferling, M. T1 - Fibre optic ratiometric fluorescence pH sensor for monitoring corrosion in concrete N2 - In this communication a novel concept for pH sensing is introduced which is specifically adapted to monitor carbonation induced corrosion in concrete structures. The method is based on a ratiometric measurement principle, exploiting the pH sensitive colour switching of thymol blue in the basic pH regime and the emissive properties of two different (Zn)CdSe/ZnS core shell quantum dots. The transition point of thymol blue in a Hydrogel D4 matrix was determined to be at around pH 11.6, which fits ideally to the intended application. Next to the fundamental spectroscopic characterization of the ratiometric response, a new design for a sensor head, suitable for the incorporation into concrete matrices is presented. Toward this, a manufacturing process was developed which includes the preparation of a double layer of polymers containing either thymol blue or a quantum dot mixture inside a porous ceramic tube. Results of a proof-of-priciple performance test of the sensor head in solutions of different pH and in cement specimens are presented, with encouraging results paving the way for future field tests in concrete. KW - Fiber optic sensing KW - PH monitoring in concrete KW - Embedded sensors KW - Ratiometric fluorescence PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9an02348h VL - 145 IS - 6 SP - 2111 EP - 2117 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-50381 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -