Engineers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. have developed slab-embedded sensors that can safely speed up a construction timeline by determining concrete strength directly onsite in real time. Their technology removes the need for extensive offsite testing by allowing contractors to verify concrete maturity onsite.
Purdue University Civil Engineering Professor Luna Lu (left) helps install an acoustic wave-enabled sensor into a slab forming the third floor of Engineering and Polytechnic Gateway Complex. The sensors she and her team have developed can instantly measure concrete strength, speeding up a construction timeline.
PHOTOS: Rebecca McElhoe for Purdue University
“Our sensors could help make better data-driven decisions to determine the construction schedule and improve the quality of concrete,” says the school’s American Concrete Pavement Association Professor of Civil Engineering Luna Lu. Her team is working with F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. to test and com