Nordic Semiconductor-powered Sensor Solution Monitors Concrete Digitally
ConcR has developed an IoT sensor package to monitor concrete curing in near real-time. Utilizing technology from Nordic Semiconductor, ConcR accelerates construction projects with its digital concrete monitoring solution.
Many factors influence the rate at which concrete cures, including the thickness and geometry of the concrete and the local weather conditions, including temperature and humidity. Therefore, it can become difficult for multi-step concrete projects to know when the next step can be completed. Because of this, additional construction is often delayed in favor of longer curing times.
ConcR Sensors provide users with data about concrete's relative humidity, temperature, and moisture. Image used courtesy of ConcR
IoT solutions company ConcR offers a digital concrete monitoring solution that utilizes Nordic Semiconductor technology to save companies time and money. By using time, temperature, and humidity data to track concrete's compressive strength, ConcR's sensor solution can estimate the time remaining before concrete fully matures.
In-Situ Sensors
As sensor hardware improves and the cost decreases, in-situ sensors are growing in popularity. In-situ sensing relies on an embedded sensor located inside whatever substance needs to be measured. The two primary challenges are ensuring that the sensor is not damaged during processing and that the sensor has a method for communicating data to the outside world.
ConcR Sensors send their data to the ConcR Box, which then uploads data to the cloud. Image used courtesy of ConcR
ConcR Sensor Solution
The ConcR Box and ConcR Sensors were designed for this purpose. ConcR Sensors are embedded in the concrete during pouring and connected to the ConcR Box located outside the pour via a wired connection. Inside the box is a Nordic Semiconductor nRF9160 chip that uses an RF link to transmit data directly onto the cloud. Therefore, data can be monitored remotely, and concrete projects can avoid unnecessary delays related to the curing process.
The Nordic nRF6190 chip at the heart of the ConcR system is capable of transmitting between 700-2200 MHz in the LTE band. The system can run 25 years on batteries, much longer than a typical concrete project, with data transmitting every ten minutes.
The ConcR Insights dashboard can be used to monitor collected data. Temperature and humidity are monitored, and the compressive strength can be calculated from those. The dashboard is designed for ease of use, expressing strength as a percentage and giving users an idea of what is happening in the concrete at any given time. Multiple sensors can be updated on a single dashboard, indicating the uniformity of the curing process.
The ConcR Insights software dashboard provides users with an easy-to-understand interface. Image used courtesy of ConcR
Sensing as an Efficiency Tool
The future of sensing curing properties of concrete will only grow. One of the greatest challenges of construction project management is determining when each project stage will be completed. Throw in factors like weather delays, and suddenly, a project can be delayed significantly. By sensing the curing properties in near real-time, wait times can be optimized.
Consider a multi-pour concrete project with approaching bad weather. Construction can continue if the previous pour can be measured and shown to have cured properly. If, however, the curing properties of the previous step are unknown, a project may need to be delayed until after severe weather. With challenges like this, the ConcR Box and ConcR Sensors will likely find use in large construction projects.
