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
By Dian Schaffhauser
02/11/21
Engineering
researchers at Purdue
University have come up with sensors that can
determine concrete strength onsite in real-time, and they re testing
it right on campus. The hope is that the technology will help
builders speed up their construction timelines safely.
According to a
campus
article, concrete mix designs are tested offsite for compressive strength before their use in a construction
project. Once the testing is done and the mixes vetted for use, they
can t be changed without additional testing. The new sensors would
eliminate the need for offsite testing by enabling contractors to
verify the concrete s maturity right on the jobsite.
Courtesy of Purdue University/Rebecca McElhoe
Author By Construction Dive Staff
Published Feb. 10, 2021
Dive Brief:
Purdue University engineers have developed sensors that could safely speed up a construction timeline by determining concrete strength directly on site in real time.
Typically, concrete mix designs require testing before implementation in a construction project. Once those mixes have been vetted for use, the mix design cannot be altered without additional offsite testing. The new technology would remove the need for extensive offsite testing by allowing construction contractors to verify the concrete’s maturity on site.
“Our sensors could help make better data-driven decisions to determine the construction schedule and improve the quality of concrete construction,” said Luna Lu, Purdue’s American Concrete Pavement Assoc
The Research in Concrete Sensor Technology
Pushing construction technology further to get real time data from concrete sensors, Purdue researchers have been working on a years-long project to investigate the value of integrating concrete sensors with the internet of things.
February 3, 2021
Purdue University engineers have developed sensors that could safely speed up a construction timeline by determining concrete strength directly onsite in real-time. Purdue’s American Concrete Pavement Association Professor of Civil Engineering speaks with editor Jonathan Kozlowski on the recent research from the university.
Her goal is to address problems in infrastructure using materials and sensors harnessing artificial intelligence. The Purdue team is working with F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. Inc. to test and compare the technology with traditional commercial sensors installed into a floor of what will be Purdue’s five-story Engineering and Polytechnic Gateway Complex. The complex will