Prototyping an embedded wireless sensor for monitoring reinforced concrete structures

Current article proposes a cheap prototype of an embedded wireless sensor to monitor concrete structures. The prototype can measure temperature and relative humidity concurrently at a controlled through smartphone time interval. It implements a maturity method to estimate in-place concrete strength, which is considered as an alternative for traditional shock impulse method and compression tests used in Kazakhstan. The prototype was tested and adequately performed in the laboratory and field conditions. Tests aimed to study the effect of internal and ambient temperature and relative humidity on the concrete strength gain. According to test results revealed that all parameters influence the strength gain to some extent. For a better understanding of how strongly parameters influence the strength as well as each other, proposed a multicolored cross-correlation matrix technique. The technique is based on the determination coefficients. It is able to show the value of significance of correlation, its positivity or negativity, as well as the degree of inter-influence of parameters. The prototype testing also recognized the inconvenience of Bluetooth control due to weakness of signal and inability to access several prototypes simultaneously. Therefore, further improvement of the prototype presume to include the replacement of Bluetooth by Narrow Band IoT standard.