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Concrete is the core ingredient of construction all over the world due to its effectiveness, durability and high compressive strength. Advancement in technology has resulted in the development of technology for making concrete even more reliable. Twenty years ago, it was much less popular to use some form of sensor technology to support the maturity framework than it is today.
Today, all construction companies see more end-clients and contractors alike seeking a solution for real-time monitoring. Data from the leading Sensor distributors Smartrock TM, 2015, Others however, think the demand in the world is 'a little peculiar' – and probably ahead of the overall market penetration for this technology.
The sensors are small sized, approximately 50mm x 50mm boxes that are embedded inside the concrete to measure its time and temperature to calculate maturity and strength. Maturity sensors are one of those advancements which have proved to be the most effective tool for measuring the cast in situ strength of concrete to receive data on which the pace of construction can be increased resulting in increased economy of the project.
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According to KRYTON Smart Concrete, (2020), Concrete Maturity sensors are a wire/wireless electronic device embedded with temperature sensors that measure the temperature inside the concrete after it is placed. And theories from concrete and cement properties from the book ‘Concrete technology by M.S Shetty,(2019), Cement contains lime and gypsum which react with water while making concrete and gives an exothermic reaction that releases heat due to the hydration process.
The released heat is detected by the maturity sensors which are made to collect the temperature and formulate it with other factors that give the early age strength of concrete. They have fiber body and titanium coated sensor probes for measuring temperature. The received data is used to make changes in the construction schedule.
The sensors give the strength of concrete on real time basis which is used to remove the foam work earlier than the required time therefore saving the money on the rent of formwork. Experienced professionals can use the time saved for other project and finish project earlier than planned which results in saving of multiple resources that were previously required.
This device provides live results as soon as the concrete is placed which gives an advantage over the traditional method that gives the earliest possible results after 3 days. PTSI India (2015) says, the sensors are small devices embedded inside concrete to measure its internal temperature with utmost precision and this technology has been built over years on the basis of various theory and experiments that lead to invention of the sensors.
“The origin of the method can be traced to work on steam curing of concrete carried out in England in the late 1940s and early 1950s. As a result of technology transfer efforts by the Federal Highway Administration, there is renewed interest in the method within the United States”.
Year Development:
The maturity method like any other method in the construction industry has evolved over the time by various professionals in the industry. Table 1 shows the important discoveries and inventions in context to building the maturity method towards its new technology which made it more and more precise towards its output.
Maturity sensors are widely used all over the world. Majority of them are wireless. The sensors are self powered data dispatching devices that transmit real time data to the receiver. Firstly, the sensors are attached to the reinforcement with the help of binding wire. Then the concrete is poured, placed and cured according to standards. As soon as the internal temperature changes, the sensors send the data to client’s cellphones or systems directly.
An example of a wired sensor would be a thermocouple, which was a primitive approach for measuring the concrete temperature. From daily commercial news, Grant Cameron (2019), says that thermocouple is placed at a specific location prior to the pour of concrete and wired outside of the framework. Depending upon the system, thermocouple can be operated by data logger method or it can be measured manually. Latest method adopted is, storage of the temperature data within the sensor’s internal memory.(p1, para.1)[7] The majority of commercial devices available for measuring temperature and maturity have long wires that, which can be a major drawback as they can be damaged easily during or after the pour, especially during the placement and finishing stages. This proves that wireless sensors are more effective than the wired sensors.
On the other side wireless maturity sensors are embedded on the rebar before pouring of concrete, the installation is simple and hassle free with no protruding wires. The sensors are operated via computer or mobile phone applications, which eliminates the need for data loggers. Calculations becomes very easy with these sensors as every data is stored and updated, these data can also be easily shared with team members. (Cameron G, 2019, p1)[7]. These features eliminate the risks of sensors getting damaged and increase the chain of effective communication between team members. The figure given below shows the basic difference between wired and wireless sensors.
One of the key players in sensor industry GIATEC, (2019) says that maturity, a non-destructive approach to concrete research, allows one to measure the early age and compressive strength of in-place concrete in real time.(para.4) [4]The use of wireless sensors ensures fast, accurate, and reliable data, with the benefit of saving costs and keeping ahead of your schedule. Maturity is a term that reflects the progression of concrete healing, it takes into account concrete temperature. Thus, the internal temperature data plays an important role in making changes in the construction schedule.
“It is believed that the use of the maturity technology can save the contractor approximately ……… earlier start of post-tensioning activities.” (Hansen & Surlaker, 2006, p 15, para 2) [5] . That means the contractor can now get the strength result as soon as the concrete is cured. The contractor shall now get the data on 2nd or the 3rd day of concrete placement which he/she would get on the 14th or 28th day. This data helps the contractor to remove the formwork early saving a good fortune on the rent.
Also, researchers form University of Michigan, Hansen & Surlaker, (2006), The use of maturity sensors in wide pavement slabs would provide an excellent indicator of real concrete strength. (para 1) [5] This will be a guideline for the contractor on when to bring other heavy machinery on the concrete pavement in the early age to heal tracks. It will minimise potential costs and reduce travel time to allow on the pavement for traffic resulting in increased profit of the organisation in cases of private contractors. Apart from private contractors, it also helps in reduce costs in the public projects funded by the government.
The initial investment in concrete maturity sensor technology is offset by the significant cost savings achieved through optimized construction schedules and reduced material wastage. The table below illustrates a hypothetical scenario showcasing the return on investment from implementing maturity sensors in a construction project:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Maturity Monitoring Cost | $10,000 (including sensor purchase and calibration) |
| Savings | $118,000 (from reduced break tests and delay costs) |
| Return on Investment | 1080% |
This example underscores the financial viability of integrating concrete maturity sensors into construction projects, highlighting their potential to deliver substantial cost efficiencies and productivity gains.
Total volume of Concrete 4000 m3
Cost for maturity monitoring $8,000
Cost of calibration for single mix $2,000
Total cost $10,000
Savings
Total concrete pours 20
Avg. cost for break test (per pour) $900
Cost of cylinders $18,000
No. of days delayed 10 days
Total cost of delay (10000$ per day) $100,000
Total savings $118,000
Return on investment 1080%
The data shows that enormous amount of profits can be earned if the contractor invests a part of the budget on modern technology to save a good amount of money. The calculation shows that minimum cost of sensors can increase profitability up to 9 times an increase the pace of work.
The technology developed over the years lead the construction industry to reach new heights by saving time and money. Invention of wireless sensors made it easier to receive data at anytime at anyplace with a return on investment up to 9 times. Concrete maturity sensors have proved to be an effective tool for the construction industry. It’s results and output data has increased the pace of construction and added an extra mile towards increasing the factor safety.
Concrete Maturity Sensors: Changing the Construction. (2024, Feb 23). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/document/concrete-maturity-sensors-changing-the-construction
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