Distributed Embedded System for Multiparametric Assessment of Infrastructure Durability Using Electrochemical...

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Structural Health Monitoring

Background:

• Reinforced concrete structures are susceptible to rebar corrosion, impacting structural integrity and service life.
• Traditional monitoring methods are often labor-intensive and provide limited real-time data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an autonomous system for real-time remote monitoring of reinforced concrete structures.
• To assess the corrosion rate of rebars (i_CORR) and related parameters (E_CORR, R_E, temperature).
• To create a corrosion penetration damage diagram for service life prediction and structural maintenance.

Main Methods:

• Deployment of embedded sensors at multiple control points within a reinforced concrete structure.
• Utilizing a novel low-stress electrochemical polarization technique to measure i_CORR.
• Employing a custom electronic system with a sensor network, data processing via a single-board computer, and 4G data upload.

Main Results:

• Consistent real-time monitoring of i_CORR, E_CORR, and R_E was achieved in a reinforced concrete wall.
• The developed corrosion penetration damage diagram effectively identified critical corrosion events.
• The system demonstrated reliable performance in tracking corrosion parameters.

Conclusions:

• The autonomous monitoring system provides valuable real-time data for structural health assessment.
• The system facilitates accurate service life predictions and aids in structural maintenance planning.
• This technology offers a significant advancement for monitoring the condition of reinforced concrete infrastructure.