Monitoring the quality of curing concrete systems with electrical impedance analysis
AssigneeThe Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Gricultural and Mechanical Colleges
InventorsLichun Chen, Tyler Ley
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Abstract
A system and method monitoring the properties of curing concrete systems to assist in adjusting curing conditions to produce predetermined properties in the hardened or cured concrete. The apparatus and method achieves this by providing a low-cost, minimally invasive means for gaining insight into the conditions of the curing concrete by using electrical impedance analysis. Sensors are distributed throughout the system to collect and transmit electrical impedance data, which is then interpreted in reference to correlations with other relevant physical and chemical properties.
Claims20
A method for monitoring the properties of a curing concrete mixture so as to produce a hardened concrete having at least one predetermined property, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving electrical impedance data representative of impedance across all or a selected portion of the curing concrete mixture, wherein the electrical impedance data is received during the curing of the curing concrete mixture and is representative of changes in impedance over a first period of time from an initial time to a second time;
- (b) analyzing the electrical impedance data for the existence of an electrical impedance gradient with respect to depth for the curing concrete mixture to produce an electrical impedance gradient for the first period of time;
- and
- (c) correlating the electrical impedance gradient for the first period of time to the amount of moisture loss at a plurality of locations within concrete mixture during the first period of time to produce a moisture correlation.
A system for monitoring the properties of a curing concrete mixture so as to produce a hardened concrete having at least one predetermined property, the system comprising:
- a) the curing concrete mixture, which will cure into the hardened concrete under a set of curing conditions;
- b) one or more electrical impedance sensors, the one or more sensors comprising a plurality of electrically conductive components distributed at one or more respective locations within the concrete mixture so as to pass an electrical current across respective portions of the concrete mixture, wherein the sensor is configured to produce electrical impedance data based on the passing of the electrical current;
- c) a processing unit connected to one or more electrical impedance sensors and configured to receive and process the electrical impedance data, wherein the processing unit processes the electrical impedance data by a data processing program configured to perform the following operational steps;
- receiving the electrical impedance data representative of impedance across all or a selected portion of the curing concrete mixture, wherein the electrical impedance data is received during the curing of the curing concrete mixture and is representative of changes in impedance over a first period of time from an initial time to a second time;
- analyzing the electrical impedance data for the existence of an electrical impedance gradient with respect to depth for the curing concrete mixture to produce an electrical impedance gradient for the first period of time;
- and
- correlating the electrical impedance gradient for the first period of time to the amount of moisture loss at a plurality of locations within concrete mixture during the first period of time to produce a moisture correlation.
A method for monitoring the properties of a curing concrete mixture so as to produce a hardened concrete having at least one predetermined property, the method comprising:
- defining at least one predetermined property of the curing concrete mixture or hardened concrete, wherein the predetermined property includes one or more of a predetermined moisture content, a predetermined porosity, a predetermined permeability, and a predetermined strength;
- receiving electrical impedance data representative of impedance across all or a selected portion of the curing concrete mixture, wherein the electrical impedance data is received during the curing of the concrete mixture and is representative of changes in impedance over time;
- correlating the electrical impedance data with a preexisting set of electrical impedance correlation data so as to determine at least one expected property of the curing concrete mixture or hardened concrete based on changes to the electrical impedance data over time, wherein the expected properties include one or more of the moisture content, the porosity, the permeability, and the strength;
- determining if the expected property meets the predetermined property;
- when the expected property does not meet the predetermined property, determining a change in the set of curing conditions which will result in a change to the expected property so as to meet the predetermined property;
- and
- applying the change in the set of curing conditions to the curing concrete mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.