Wireless surface acoustic wave sensors for displacement and crack monitoring in concrete structures

M Perry, I McKeeman, M Saafi, P Niewczas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
659 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate that wireless surface acoustic wave devices can be used to monitor millimetre displacements in crack opening during the cyclic and static loading of reinforced concrete structures. Sensors were packaged to extend their gauge length and to protect them against brittle fracture, before being surface-mounted onto the tensioned surface of a concrete beam. The accuracy of measurements was verified using computational methods and opticalfibre strain sensors. After packaging, the displacement and temperature resolutions of the surface acoustic wave sensors were 10 μm and 2°C respectively. With some further work, these devices could be retrofitted to existing concrete structures to facilitate wireless structural health monitoring.

Original languageEnglish
Article number035035
Number of pages10
JournalSmart Materials and Structures
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Feb 2016

Keywords

  • concrete crack monitoring
  • structural health monitoring
  • surface acoustic wave sensors
  • wireless sensing
  • crack opening
  • reinforced concrete structures
  • static loading
  • optical-fibre strain sensors

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