Purdue engineers are working to build the next generation of roads. Among those innovations are sensors, shown here being installed on Interstate 465,.
Self-curing concrete, self-healing roads, and concrete that reduces the global carbon footprint. Purdue University engineers are looking at new ways to pave roads, ways to extend the life of roads and ways to make roadwork less resource- and carbon-intensive.
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
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
Is that building done yet? Researchers test sensors that could speed up construction schedules
Note to journalists: A video about the sensor installation is available on YouTube. Video and photos of the sensor installation are available via Google Drive. Journalists visiting campus should follow visitor health guidelines.
Future building complex at Purdue University is a test bed for new technology measuring concrete strength
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. How long it takes to construct a building depends in large part on when the concrete of each floor is strong enough to take on loads.
Purdue University engineers have developed sensors that could safely speed up a construction timeline by determining concrete strength directly onsite in real time.