INTERNET-CONNECTED SENSORS PROVIDE CONCRETE DAT
A former prototype
method of testing concrete strength using internet-connected sensors and
processing power has been commercially deployed on around 40 construction
projects across the UK.
The innovative
technology, developed by UK tech start-up Converge, is based around a
transmitter node that communicates data from sensors embedded in concrete over
a mesh network.
The results are
interpreted in real-time using sophisticated data analytics software to give an
accurate real-time picture of the curing process and when formwork is ready to
be struck.
After initial trials
with a major contractor in 2015 the system has been deployed on projects
including Hinkley Point C, the £1.7bn Royal Albert Docks development, 22
Bishopsgate and several Underground maintenance projects for Transport for
London.
Raphael Scheps,
co-founder and chief executive of Converge, told BIM+: “A year and a half ago it was only a
prototype that worked but had not been battle tested. Some 40 sites on and the
main thing we have achieved is reliability, by extended the range significantly
and adding redundancy at multiple layers of the network.
“Our customers are
striking concrete on the basis of our data and if they haven’t got reliable
data they can’t make the important decisions.”
At Royal Albert Docks,
Converge installed sensors in the post-tensioned concrete floor slabs, working
with contractor Brookfield Multiplex and its concrete subcontractor to alter
concrete mix designs to even out curing times over the summer and winter.
“Ask any engineer on
site and they would tell you that concrete cures slower in winter than in
summer but if you asked them to estimate how much slower they would have to
guess,” said Scheps. “Our accurate measurements enabled the project to achieve
consistent floor cycle times and meet the overall target programme.”
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